Genius of Hard Work
by Coolness121
Summary: Rock Lee was a boy, like many, who dreamed of becoming a hero. Unlike everyone else, though, he was born without a Quirk. Did you think that was going to stop him? No! He might not have been born gifted, but he would keep working hard and never give up! He would show the world that even without a Quirk he could become a splendid hero!
1. Chapter 1

The Power of Youth

Ch. 1

It was an absolutely wonderful day. The sun shined bright in the clear blue sky with birds singing the song of nature from their place in the trees. It was the textbook definition of peaceful.

Well, it would've been if not for one tiny detail.

"C'MON, LEE! IF WE CANNOT COMPLETE OUR HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE CITY ON OUR FEET THAN WE SHALL TRY AGAIN ON OUR HANDS!" A rich, masculine voice belted out to his protege.

The voice belonged to a green monste-uh,man. A man in an all green tracksuit with white trainers. He stood at a neck-bending six feet tall with two thick yet-perfectly-plucked eyebrows, a black bowl cut that gleamed under the the sun, and a dazzling smile that was on full display as he ran with his apprentice.

"YES, GUY-SENSEI! I WILL FINISH THIS LAST LAP BEFORE EVEN YOU!" The apprentice answered just as loudly. The apprentice was, well, the man but just...smaller.

Literally.

He was nowhere near six feet, but he stood a respectable five foot five, and had every feature aforementioned on the man he was running behind right down to the white shoes. If there was anybody around to witness the nearly identical twins running and screaming their lungs out, they might've called the police, but in a world of heroes you grow numb to these sort of things after witnessing a man made of wood or a woman who can grow to be as a tall as a skyscraper. These two were barely a blip on the radar, and that allowed them to work out in peace.

"YOSH! LEE, YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE RAGING LIKE A WILDFIRE!" The man, Guy-Sensei, answered passionately. "IF YOU BEAT ME TO THE DOJO, LEE, I PROMISE TO TEACH YOU THAT NEW MOVE AS YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH WOULD THEN BE READY!"

The man smiled to himself as he began to speed up. The boy, Lee, let off a "YOSH!" before pumping his legs harder to match his master's stride.

They were in the last stretch before they reached the dojo, and they were neck and neck. A few more blocks and they'd be there. Lee could literally see the green roof of the place in the distance. He couldn't lose now with his goal within sight!

The final sprint, he thought. Lee grit his teeth and dug deep. He pushed his legs to go even faster. His heart pounded in his chest and his legs burned, but he pushed to go faster and faster. He began to pull ahead. It was one step than two and then he was an arms length ahead of his sensei. His heart soared. He would do it!

To his dismay, he heard his sensei's footsteps quicken. He could feel him beginning to close the gap, but Lee refused to let that happen! He dug even deeper and forced his legs to move even faster. He was in a dead sprint now moving as fast as he physically could and the dojo was right there!

His sensei wasn't one to give up easily, and he closed the gap despite Lee's best efforts. Lee didn't dare risk a glance at his sensei and put his focus into jeopardy. No, he'd win this contest of youth and show Guy-Sensei that he was ready for the new technique.

So he pushed his body to go even faster, but still he felt Guy-Sensei right there! In fact he was beginning to overcome him!

A-almost there, he thought to himself. He was so close.

They were within arms length, but Guy-Sensei was a nose ahead of him. He had only one shot to win. He needed to put it all on the line! So, Lee did something crazy.

He leaped.

Might Guy always preached about going beyond your limits, and this was his test for his most favored pupil. Well, only pupil at the moment really, but that was besides the point! He needed to push Lee and see how far he was willing to go for Lee's dream was not a simple one. They were within spitting distance of the dojo and Guy was running faster than he thought he'd have to. Lee was really giving it his all and showing off his raging flames of youth! Then, Lee did something that shocked Guy.

He jumped.

Lying there on the grassn-thank goodness there was grass-Guy jogged over to his breathing-heavily pupil who had rolled over on his back to face the sky.

"I," Lee gasped for breath, "I beat you here, Guy-Sensei. I did it," he said with a million dollar smile.

In that moment, Guy was filled with such an overwhelming rush of pride he couldn't help but smile back. Not blinding as he might've usually, but still warm and wide.

"You sure did, Lee. You sure did."

Guy looked down at his tired yet smiling pupil and reached down to haul the boy up. "C'mon now, Lee," he said as he pulled him up. "Let us enter and I can proceed in keeping my end of the deal."

"Yosh! Then what are we waiting for, Guy-Sensei!" Lee cheered and dashed into the dojo with a chuckling Guy-Sensei following behind him.

As his protege bounded into the dojo, Guy couldn't help but remember what brought him and Lee together.

It felt like a lifetime ago that I met him at that park, Guy thought to himself as he followed his pupil inside.

"I am ready, Guy-Sensei!" Lee yelled out unintentionally derailing Guy's trip down memory lane.

Bah, look at me reminiscing like I am not in the prime of my youth! Guy thought. I must focus on the present and prepare my pupil for his future as any good teacher should!

Guy took off his shoes and socks and placed them next to Lee's identical ones right by the door.

"Aha! I see you that are, Lee," Guy responded back.

In the few moments that it took Guy to enter the dojo Lee had switched out of his tracksuit and into his white gi and green belt. He sat seiza, eyes wide with excitement and all previous signs of exhaustion gone at the prospect of learning a new technique.

Guy couldn't help but be just as excited. He tossed off his tracksuit, revealing the all green gi and black belt he wore underneath. He was always prepared! To stay ready so you do not have to get ready is a phrase he lived by.

"Alright, Lee, you have taken to the physical side of the Strong Fist like a fish to water," Guy began, "but it is just as important to train your spirit. What have I told you about your spirit, Lee? Explain it to me in your own words."

Guy sat in seiza in front of his student, and gestured for Lee to answer when he was ready.

Lee took a moment and thought back to his previous lessons with Guy-Sensei. He eventually pieced together what he felt was good enough. "Spirit is the fuel that drives the body," He began cautiously. "Uhm, it runs through your body through these invisible channels and different gates, and it grows through meditation and the breathing techniques you have me cool down with," He finished with a confident nod.

Guy smiled at the answer and said, "Good, Lee. You are correct on all accounts except for one."

Lee's confidence faltered, and his smile was replaced with a look of confusion. He opened his mouth to ask what he was missing, but a raised hand from Guy silenced him.

"It is not any of your fault that you missed this piece. It is mine for not explaining it to you the first time, but there was a reason for that as it concerns you and your dream," Guy revealed to Lee's surprise. "That very same energy can be harnessed and used to push the body beyond what is thought to be humanly capable. You can access those channels and pull off feats only those with quirks should be able to," Guy told him.

Lee's eyes went wide with shock. Did this mean…

"B-but, Guy-sensei," Lee stuttered out, "how do you know that that is possible?" Lee couldn't help but ask.

"How about I show you, Lee," Guy said instead and Lee's heart jumped with excitement. They both rose from their knees, and Guy indicated for Lee to take a few steps back. Once Lee was a sufficient amount of steps back, Guy began his demonstration.

Lee looked on in wonder. He dare not take a breath as his sensei slid his feet apart into a modified horse stance. He watched transfixed as Guy-Sensei eased his arms to his sides and bent them at the elbow so his fists were poking forwards. Guy-Sensei took deep breaths as he closed his eyes. His body did not move besides his chest as it rose with each breath he took.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Lee felt something begin to stir. As if the very air began to come alive. The hair on his arms rose, and Lee's pulse quickened in response. Guy-Sensei's eyes were still closed as if he was thinking heavily, but everything around began to move and shake. Lee suddenly felt a breeze graze his face and run through his hair and his eyes grew wide.

He wondered where it came from?

He got his answer as he began to see blue wisps of some kind energy or light begin to rise from Guy's body. His whole body began to be outlined with the blue energy. The very air around him looked to be picking up speed as his hair began to slowly rise in defiance of gravity. Lee couldn't believe what he was seeing!

"First gate: Gate of Opening, open!" Guy-Sensei yelled.

The very world erupted.

The proclamation set off what felt like gale force winds and Lee struggled to stay on his feet. His hair began whipping back and everything inside of the dojo from the lights to the weapons on the walls began to shake. He had to shield his eyes the winds were that powerful.

His heart was pounding in his ears and his knees shook from the power his sensei was giving off. His mouth had dried up from his gaping/ He tried his best to keep the winds from hitting his eyes, and gasped at what he was able to see.

There, in all his glory, stood Guy-Sensei. The winds seemed to be originating from him as slight wisps of blue energy leaked from his powerful form. His bowl cut whipped around slightly, and to Lee he looked even more muscular before! How was that even possible?

Lee was in awe at what he was witnessing. What power! Immediately he felt tears begin to form in his eyes. He swallowed thickly and tried to stifle the on coming water works, but the sight before him was too glorious. Too youthful. For Guy-Sensei to be exuding this kind of power was unimaginable.

And he wanted to teach him this?

The tears unbidden began sliding down his cheeks as the implications of what he was seeing hit him like a ton of bricks.

Guy-Sensei was showing him he could be a hero!

"Though you are without quirk, Lee, that doesn't mean your dream is any less obtainable!" Guy began passionately over the powerful winds. "You may not have what in the eyes of society it takes to become a hero, but that just gives you the chance to not only prove the them wrong, but to prove yourself right! To become what they believe you cannot! A hero! Was that not your goal?! Your dream?! As long as you believe in yourself, hard work gifts people like you and me the ability to break through our limits and rise above what everyone else believes we should be! Believe in yourself, Lee, and let yourself blossom into a genius of hard work! LET YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH EXPLODE!"

Lee succumbed to his knees and prostrated himself until his forehead met the mats. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to stifle his sobs. Sensei was right! It was time to work even harder than before! He would prove that he did not need a quirk to become a great hero for that was his dream. That was his life motto!

"Guy-Sensei!" He yelled over the powerful winds to his sensei. "Teach me!" He pleaded with all that he was.

Lee didn't know how long he sobbed for or when Guy-Sensei powered down and walked over, but a hand on his shoulder made him lift his head. His reddened, wet eyes met Guy-Sensei's strong black ones as he gave him a thumbs up in his signature nice-guy pose.

Suddenly, Lee wasn't in the dojo. Lee flashed back to the life changing moment at that park when he became a student under Guy-Sensei. That same smile and thumbs up that was able to bring hope when he had none, and he gazed on in wonder.

"You got it, Lee," was all Guy-Sensei said to him then and it was enough.

His world melted and he was back in the dojo, older and stronger with the possibility to become even more so.

"You got it, Lee," was all Guy-Sensei said to him now, and, just as before, it was enough.

"Now, c'mon, my beloved pupil," Guy prompted and shot up, flames in his eyes. "Wipe your eyes and let us begin! It's not to long now before U.A. holds its entrance exams and we have no time to lose!"

Lee rubbed at his eyes and scrambled to his feet, his flames of youth burning brighter than ever before.

"Yes, Guy-Sensei!"

"That's the spirit, Lee!"

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Principal Nezu sat at the head of the table surrounded by his fellow U.A. staff members and teachers. Currently, they were going through the submitted applications for this fall. Quirk users from around the world all trying their hand to get into the prestigious school, and, usually, it was just quirk users that tried to earn themselves a place here. This year, though, there was an outlier. An individual without a quirk.

A Rock Lee.

"Principal Nezu," a voice he recognized as Vlad's cut through his thoughts and brought him back to reality, "what have you gathered us all here for today? You usually don't need more than Aizawa and I to go through the applicants with you," Vlad crossed his arms over his broad chest. "This is highly unusual."

"Ah, my apologies to you all," He apologized embarrassedly, "I was caught up in my own thoughts, haha. You are correct in saying this is highly unusual to bring you all together like this, but it is in response to a highly unusual situation I find myself wrestling with," He told them.

Nezu took the application and the copies he made and passed them to his right to Thirteen. "Could you take one and pass it down, Thirteen, please?" He asked her.

Wordlessly, she took the stack and did as he requested and took one then passed the stack to Cementoss next to her. As they were going around he decided not to beat around the bush as it were.

"The application that is being passed around to you all now is why I have called you all here," he began, "We have something highly unusual and extremely unprecedented in the form of a quirkless applicant," he revealed to his colleagues.

Whatever Nezu was going to say next was cut off as the table erupted in varied degrees of shock and disbelief. Nezu couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at their reactions. Even the lethargic Aizawa straightened up and actually began to look through the application set in front of him.

The initial shock wore off quickly and the outburst of noise was quickly settled as everyone digested what he just told them. Nezu could only guess what they were thinking, and that was no good for anybody. He would give them a moment to gather their thoughts, as even he needed a moment after he read through the application.

Fortunately, it did not take long until someone broke the silence.

To his immediate left, President Mic spoke up, "Well, it's not like he's applying for the Hero Course, right?" He asked with a slight chuckle as the application finally came to him. His smile lasted until he read the words in bright red at the top of the application 'For the Hero Course'. "Uhm, this wasn't supposed to be here," he said pointing to the words.

Snipe didn't even need to look through the application as he received it. He took one and passed the stack promptly to Ectoplasm. His mind was already made up. "With all due respect, Principal Nezu," Snipe began from the right of Cementoss, "we can't let the kid apply for the Hero Course for his own health and safety."

The peaked his interest. "Care to elaborate, Snipe?" He requested.

"Because he has no quirk," He immediately answered as if the answer was obvious. He looked at his gathered colleagues and said, "We cannot in good conscience allow him to carry through with this suicidal endeavor. Without a quirk he just won't be able to keep up. He'll be putting himself in more danger than he needs to be."

"Whoa now, Snipe, that's a little mean don't you think?" the R-rated hero, Midnight spoke up from in front of him..

Snipe put his hands. "Hey, I am just speaking the truth and sometimes the truth is mean."

"But you're suggesting we do what? Throw his application out to stop him from trying?" Midnight shook her head. "I agree with you that he's putting himself and others in extreme danger, but we can't just do that."

"I agree with Midnight, Snipe," Vlad added. "We cannot just get rid of this. We are better than that."

Snipe shook his head. "I'm not saying we throw it out. We don't even know if it was accepted or not, right, Principal Nezu?" He asked as he looked to said person.

Nezu nodded at that. "I have not yet decided if he is to be accepted or not. It is why I brought it to you all to deliberate over what we shall do," he told them.

"See," Snipe said with a nod. "So, in light of that, I say we deny it to save him and us the trouble it would cause. It's nothing against the kid and his lack of a quirk, but logically speaking how would he even compete with those with quirks? He'd be so unable to combat those with quirks that he'd be flattened on his first day in the field. What kind of message would we be sending to the public if we allowed that to happen to him knowing full well he had no quirk. What would we tell his family?"

Cementoss nodded his head in agreement. "I agree with Snipe. It would be carelessly dangerous of us to accept an individual without a quirk. The kind of message we would be sending is one of recklessness and incompetence. Everyone knows there are no heroes without a quirk for a reason. No matter how major or minor the quirk, they still have one that gives them an edge," he said.

The soft-spoken Thirteen chose that moment to speak up. With the application flipped open to a certain page she said, "Says here he is an orphan. Reasons unknown, but the caretaker found him outside her door one night with a note that only gave his name," she hmmd as she read further down. "Says his current guardian is one Might Guy. His signature is here at the bottom as well, so we can assume he knows his ward is applying to U.A. with no quirk. He would then understand the risks that come with it on the off chance this Rock Lee was accepted," she reasoned.

"Hmm, good point, Thirteen," Vlad praised slightly. "If he and his guardian know and understand the risks that come with applying to the Hero Course then we cannot be faulted for what may happen. It is the same risks that anyone, quirk or no quirk, understands as they apply to U.A.."

Present Mic skimmed through the application until he got to the page he was looking for. The National Quirk Assessment Test scores. He let out a low whistle at what he saw. "Guys, turn to the page right before the last. It's his Quirk assessment scores."

The rest of them collectively turned to the page Present Mic said to and began to read. The results shocked them.

"Th-this shouldn't be possible," Midnight murmured out loud as she read.

Present Mic nodded his head with a wide smile on his face. "That's what I'm saying! According to these results, even though he doesn't have a quirk, kid still placed in the top 35 percent nationally! Hahaha, that shouldn't be possible!" Present Mic laughed. "This kid is throwing doubt on your entire argument, Snipe ol' pal."

Snipe scoffed and shook his head. "You and I both know that assessment does not accurately anything useful. It's only government mandated to give everyone a 'fair' chance at getting into the school they want to. It's why we still have our entrance exam in the first place. Throwing a ball really far isn't something we even consider," he argued right back.

Ectoplasm, who had been silent up until this point, spoke up and said, "That is true. I am with Cementoss and Snipe. While his scores are impressive, in the long run what good will they do to help him? He is at a severe disadvantage in comparison to his potential peers, and we would only be putting him in danger," he explained to nods of agreement from Snipe and Cementoss.

"I also agree with you as well," Thirteen contributed. "I do not feel good about denying someone their dream like this, but it is safer in the long run."

Midnight shook her head in disbelief. "I agreed with you, but this has changed my mind. Are you not seeing what I am seeing? This kid, this quirkless kid, scored better than half of the people with quirks did in the friggin country! The physical scores show _potential_, and from these scores this kid has a ton of it and as teachers it's our job to help him realize it," She slapped the application down onto the table. "I say we let him try! If he fails the entrance exam then he fails and it means he doesn't have what it takes, but I am not going to be the one to deny him even the chance," She looked to Vlad, "You with me, Vlad?"

Vlad, arms back to being crossed over his chest, breathed in, seemingly deep in thought, before letting out the breath. "I am with you, Midnight," he replied and received a victorious cheer from the R-rated hero. Ignoring it, he looked to his fellow colleagues and said, "This child, quirkless he may be, has achieved the achievements necessary to have his application accepted. It would dishonest of us as educators to not acknowledge his hard work and determination in the face of impossible odds," he explained calmly, "Like Midnight has said, let him take the entrance exam. Allow him the chance to either prove that he has or doesn't have what it takes. It is simple really; if this Rock Lee makes it, he makes it. If he doesn't, he doesn't," he finished bluntly.

Present Mic nodded his head and hmmd at that. "That makes a lot of sense, Vlad. Imma agree with you as well, Midnight," he smiled, but it wasn't one of his wide, eccentric ones. It was smaller one as memories danced behind his eyes as he stared off into space. "I won't deny this kid the chance to achieve his dream."

He blinked a few times and he shook off the memories. He looked to his right at a surprisingly awake Aizawa. He nudged his lazy friend with his elbow. "What about you, eh, Aizawa? You've been quiet even though you teach class 1-A," Mic said to his friend.

Everyone turned their attention the scruffy man. If Aizawa felt the eyes on him, he didn't show it. Instead he yawned once and stretched, unknowingly increasing the sense of anticipation in the room. Finally, he answered in his slow, always-tired voice, "Let him try."

"What?!" Snipe yelled out from across the table

"Yes!" Midnight cheered from beside Aizawa.

"You can't be serious, Eraserhead?" Snipe further questioned.

"Oh, he's definitely serious!" Midnight answered for him.

"But he has no quirk!" Snipe tried to argue.

"So?" Aizawa responded back promptly.

"So, he is at risk! The media will eat us and him for breakfast if they catch wind of us letting the first kid without a quirk into U.A.," he argued.

"We aren't 'letting' him do anything," Aizawa responded back calmly. "If he happens to make it past the entrance exam, it would be off his own merit and skill. He knows the risks just as well as every other child does. Due to his scores and achievements, it is only logical we let him try. If he fails, he fails. He he succeeds, however unlikely it may seem, he succeeds. Let the media run their mouths. We will still continue to do our jobs in preparing the next generation of heroes as best we can," he explained tiredly.

With that, Aizawa slumped back down in his seat and closed his eyes to take a nap.

Nezu took the opportunity to speak. "So, for a clearer understanding, Midnight, Vlad, Mic, and Eraserhead are all for letting Rock Lee take a chance with the entrance exam, and Snipe, Cementoss, Ectoplasm, and you Thirteen are against it?" He asked to the surrounding heroes.

He received nods of confirmation from them all besides Eraserhead who was fast slumped onto the table.

"An even split. Not something I expected. So, I guess the deciding vote will come down to me after all, hmm?" He asked more towards himself than anyone else. Principal Nezu leaned back in his chair, application in hand. He had read over and through this application enough times to know it by heart.

Orphaned since he was a toddler, grew up in the outskirts of Mustafu until his current guardian, Might Guy, found him and adopted him, moved into the city proper, and began getting increasingly higher and higher scores in school. Almost as if he was receiving training.

How peculiar.

He went over the arguments in his head. Flipped them around. Analyzed them. He could see the logic behind them both. Snipe was right in saying it was dangerous, but Midnight was also correct in saying that his potential was too high to just ignore. Once the media got wind of him, and he had zero doubt they would, they would be on him and U.A. even more rabidly. That doesn't even begin to cover the political implications of it all. A Quirkless student admitted into U.A.. He could see it now.

He sighed acutely. The safe bet would be to not accept the application right here and now. Save himself and everyone at the table the trouble. Nezu knew how unforgiving this world could be. How monstrous the villains grow everyday. How many heroes, ones with powerful quirks, fall in the line of duty. He knows this. He would be doing the child a mercy by denying him. Saving his life potentially.

But still, Nezu thought to himself.

They were teachers. Educators. It was their job to see the potential where no one else saw it. It was their job to help children realize their dreams no matter how ludacris they may seem. It was their duty to prepare them to face the horrors they will encounter and come out on top. This child has the world against him already, yet still he persists. Yet still he achieves. He has gone beyond what even some with quirks have!

Nezu didn't know why he was taking so long in debating on this. He knew in his heart what his decision was going to be the moment he read through the application.

Nezu knew the odds were stacked against the child, but his instincts told him something different. The world was changing. He could feel it. Maybe this was to be the catalyst for something bigger, maybe not. Nezu looked at the picture of the smiling boy with thick eyebrows and a bowl cut. A simple child who wanted to be a hero. A child who was up against the world and impossible odds.

So, Nezu thought to himself as finally he told the table his decision, let us watch the impossible.

A/N

I'm not dead. Just have been the busiest person ever. Also lazy and unmotivated. Also uninspired. It's been rough. Yet, still I persist. I took an extended break from this sight to allow myself time to read and better my writing. Reading books and other fics on this site made me question how is it the the greats of this sight are able to be great. I learned a lot in a year, and I am confident in saying I have become a better writer. I hope it reflects in my future fics.

To address my current fics, I will either be deleting/revamping/updating those I have enough motivation and inspiration to do so. Great White of The North will be deleted and replaced with another A:TLA fic I have begun to write. Dead to A Demon will get a revamp because I realized the entire beginning premise is mad weak and was the entire reason I couldn't keep writing for it. It just wasn't interesting enough. Codename: Teens Next Door has its next two chapters ready and raring to go. Don't know who still wants to read it, though, since it has been forever. Child of the Volcano, my child, my baby, my pride and joy...sucks. Like, no literally. It sucks and I cringe when I read it. I know I can do so much better with it, so I will. Instead of some Son of Neptune knock off like I made it to be, it will be bigger better and more firey than before. Is that a word? Firey? The red line underneath it tells me it's not, but whatever.

I also have new stories I am currently writing. Some one-shots, some full-lengths, and some in between. Either way, I am back and popping. This Author's Note was long as hell. Sorry not sorry. Uh, closing remarks. Uh, Avengers Endgame was great. Beer belly Thor was awesome. Uh, One Punch Man Season 2 is effing hilarious, so go watch it. Uh, uh, go read Friendly Foreign Dimensional Exchange Student Spiderman! By Zaru. Great freaking story with regular updates. It served as inspiration for this one honestly. Also, check out Unknown Legends by KTWizard, Naruto: Maoyu by TheWriteFiction, and literally anything ever written by Coeur Al'Aran if you're into RWBY. See ya later, s8ters.


	2. Chapter 2: Entrance Exam Pt 1

Chapter 2: Entrance Exam Pt. 1

"Every new friend is an adventure...the start of more memories"

-Patrick Lindsay

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.

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Lee stood in front of the gates that lead into his future. U.A. High School. Today was the day. The day to end all days. Well, not really, but today was still possibly the most important day of his life. Lee felt excited yet nervous like he wanted to do a backflip of joy and throw up all at the same time!

It was a disconcerting combination.

Today,though, was the U.A. Entrance Exam! Here was the final obstacle in the way of him and U.A., and he was ready. When he and Guy-sensei got the letter last winter that he was going to be given the chance to show up for the entrance exams in the upcoming fall, they were so excited! Guy-sensei even decided to kick his training up a whole level! How? Well it had everything to do with the weights he was currently wearing underneath his pants.

(Flashback)

_It was a saturday and Lee was confused. _

_Guy-sensei was excited._

_Lee looked at the bands on display right in front. Leg weights, according to sensei. But, they did not look anything like normal weights did. They were wayyyyy older and scuffed up than the ones he saw in the local sporting goods stores. They were a dirty tan or beige with slots across them with kanji painted onto each slot. _

_He reached and picked up the weights, and strapped them around his ankles. Without any weights in the slots, they were as light as a feather, and Lee hopped around a bit in them to get a feel and make sure they were secured. _

"_They fit, Lee?" Guy-sensei asked as he calmed down on the testing. _

_Lee nodded his head and smiled widely. "They fit perfectly, Guy-sensei," He replied back. _

_Guy smiled wide at the answer. "That is great, Lee. That means we can get started with the next step," he said excitedly. Guy stepped over to the pile of rectangular shaped weights sitting in the corner and picked up a few. He turned to Lee with a blinding smile and said, "It is time to add the weights!"_

"_Yosh!" Lee responded back. _

_With practiced ease, Guy-sensei placed a weight in each slot until everyone was full and sealed. _

_He straightened up and stepped back. "Now, take a few steps and tell me how they feel, Lee," Guy-sensei told him with a sneaky smile. _

_Lee didn't notice the smile his sensei was sporting, as he found himself struggling to lift his legs to even take a step! How much weight did sensei put around his legs?!_

_Almost as if he read Lee's mind, Guy-sensei said, "Right now, you have 150 pounds on each leg to start you off, Lee. I want you to wear these every day besides when you go to sleep and take a shower. That means even when you go to the bathroom and when you go to school. And," Guy-sensei began quickly before Lee could ask the question he looked to, "I have already called your principal and told him the situation with the weights. My old weights when I was your age, by the way," Guy added._

_Lee gasped in surprise. He looked from the scuffed up and old-no, the youthful and glorious weights around his ankles to Guy-sensei with wonder in his eyes and asked, "These were yours?"_

_Lee bowed at the waist, "I am honored, Guy-sensei," He snapped up straight with youthful fire burning in his eyes. "I will master these weights until I am able to run a hundred laps around the city in them! And if I cannot do that then I will do 1000 kicks with each leg!" He declared passionately._

"_That is the spirit, Lee," Guy added just as passionately. "Let your youth burn bright!"_

"_Guy-sensei!"_

"_Lee!"_

"_Guy-sensei!"_

"_Le-"_

(Flashback End)

"Yoohoo," A voice sang and broke him out of his flashback.

He felt something move in front of his face and his muscles reacted before his brain could catch up. He snatched whatever it was in a tight, bandaged grip and unknowingly clenched down.

"Ah! Ow! Ow! Okay, okay," the voice hurried out in pain.

Lee blinked silently a few times and refocused on reality to see that he was clenching a hand. A pink hand. He quickly traced the slender arm to its owner and was taken aback by what he saw.

He first saw a lot of pink, his second favorite-no third favorite color after green and orange. Pink skin and wild also-pink hair that covered the base of two horns. A pair of eyes with a glittering black sclera with yellow irises.

More important than all of that was that she was a girl! And going by her wincing, he was holding her hand a little too tight. Ah! He was holding her hand without consent!

He frantically let it go and she snatched it back. She rubbed at it tenderly and Lee felt guilt and shame rise in him. That was very un-youthful of him. Guy-sensei had told him women were glorious wonders of nature that deserved to be treated as such, and Lee was doing the exact opposite! Before he even got pass the gates! Or even introduced himself!

Quickly he tried to apologize to the girl, "Oh, I am so so sorry. I did not mean to grab you so forcefully. I apologize and if that isn't enough I will apologize a thousand more times until it is," he said strongly. He would make this up to her.

The girl snorted and shook her head as she shook out her hand a bit, "One time is good enough, so don't worry about it…," she trailed off expectantly and it took Lee a moment to realize she was waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Ah, I apologize," he smiled widely until his eyes shut, trying his best to imitate his sensei's nice guy pose. "I am Rock Lee. May I have the name of a pretty girl such as yourself?"

He was met with silence and he opened his eyes and was greeted with a silent slightly gaping girl with darkened cheeks. Did he mess something up again? He did exactly as Guy-sensei said to. When you meet a new person compliment them to break the ice. Was the ice not sufficiently broken? Was it too broken?

Before he could try to salvage what he could from his apparent blunder, metaphorical lightning struck. He needed to hurry up and get ready for the exam!

He looked at the girl. "Are you here for the exam as well?" He asked her quickly.

The question seemed to shake her out of her stupor. "Y-yea, I am," she stuttered out. "Are yo-"

Lee grabbed her hand. "I do apologize for this, but we must hurry if we are to make it in time!" He exclaimed.

The girl seemed to shake her head and try to say something, but whatever it was was cut short as Lee dashed inside the gates of the school fast enough to leave a trail of dust.

He would not be late and neither would his new acquaint!

.

.

.

Turns out he was early. Also turns out, he felt the need to apologize to the girl yet again.

Mina Ashido was, admittedly, a strange girl. She knew it and wasn't ashamed of the fact she looked and acted different than 'normal' people. She had pink skin, black and yellow eyes, horns, and could shoot acid from her hands. She was easily excitable, loud, and very emotional when it came to just about anything. All of this called for her being labeled 'weird' or 'dumb' or even 'ugly'. She'd be lying if the words didn't hurt, and she disliked liars.

The constant belittlement by her peers made her, not insecure, but extremely doubtful to ever hear a compliment from somebody that wasn't her grandmother. It was reinforced over and over throughout the years, and she applied to U.A. not expecting much of a change.

Yet, before she even took the entrance exam, here was a potential classmate calling her pretty and wanting to know her name. And he seemed honestly genuine about it to!

Pfft, she wasn't head over heels for the guy. She wasn't that desperate for attention, but it was such a shock it left her speechless. Then the whole rushing around thing, him grabbing her hand-nobody's done that willingly before-and wanting to make sure neither of them were late even though she knew they were an hour early.

It made her want to smile and cry at the same time! Made her feel all fuzzy inside too! But she wouldn't cry! No, she was a big girl and big girls don't cry over tiny things like this.

Well, that's what grandma said at least.

Plus, she thought as she regarded the apologizing boy, she wasn't sure what to make of the fervently apologizing boy clad in white martial arts wore all black sandals and his hands were covered up with bandages. He looked like a martial artist come to life.

Only if they had a bowl cut and thick, bushy brows.

But still, she thought to herself as she sat on the bench, I'm not really mad and the apologizing is getting a bit much even for me.

"No, no it's fine," she tried to wave him off and get him to stop. "Apology accepted and I'm not even angry," she said with an easygoing shrug.

Lee straightened and sighed a sigh of relief. "That is wonderful. I did not mean any offense with my actions. They were very unyouthful," he lamented sadly.

Mina couldn't keep from snorting at his use of the word 'unyouthful'. It wasn't even a word, but he said it with such confidence it was funny. He was funny.

"You're funny, Rock," she giggled and held her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Mina. Mina Ashido. Let's be friends!" She said with as much confidence and joy as she could muster. And added a smile for the cherry on top.

Yup, just like she practiced.

Rock Lee did not waste a moment. He shook her hand, normally and with consent this time, and smiled right back at. "It is nice to meet you Mina Mina Ashido, and please call me Lee. Also, yes. Let us commence being friends!"

Mina smiled, that warm, fuzzy that made her heart feel full stayed steady in her chest, "Then call me Mina, Lee. We're friends now after all!"

She smiled wide. As wide as maybe sensei, and Lee was taken aback in silent amazement. Her smile was wonderful and her youthful energy felt infectious. He didn't know how it was possible, but he thought he felt his smile get a little bit wider as they began to talk.

The 30 minutes passed relatively quickly for the pair as they just talked and talked and they got to know each other better.

Or, he got to know her better. He quickly learned that Ashido, not Mina Mina, was a very youthful talker. He spent more time listening than anything else. But that was fine! He wanted to learn more anyways.

For example, Mina loved dancing, fashion, shopping, natto, okra and romantic movies. She disliked bullying, and her dream was to become a hero she and her grandmother could be proud of.

Lee couldn't help but think about how youthful her dream was. Her flames of youth were truly burning bright!

Eventually, though, the time had come for the entrance exam to begin.

The large group of students were herded into an auditorium with a giant screen showing the U.A. logo to them. As everyone took their seats, Lee stuck with his new friend. Luckily they found two empty seats right next to each other, and were quick to take them. There was a serious amount of people in here, and seats were filling up fast.

Seats secured, they waited for everyone else to find there's.

"So, what do you think they are going to have us do?" Mina asked him excitedly, basically bouncing in her seat. "Do you think we're going to have to fight some monsters or a teacher! Oh, oh, oh," she stuttered and her eyes got wide, "or giant killer robots?!"

Before Lee could answer, a new, unfamiliar voice interjected and asked curiously, "You think they're going to have us fighting giant robots?"

Lee and Mina paused and looked to their right to the source of the voice and were greeted with a boy. Lee reasoned he was around their age, but he was just so much bigger. He had grey hair that was swept forward and covered most of his face and right eye with his mouth covered by a facemask.

Mina wasted naught a second to answer his question. "I mean, it is just a guess. This is the practical exam, so they would have us doing something that was a little bit more fighty-fighty and kicky-kicky, right?" She asked the new kid and added a shrug.

"That makes excellent sense, Ashido! Truly, your deduction skills are top-notch!" Lee praised. He wasn't sure himself about the event himself, but what Mina said made sense.

"I agree, that does make sense," the new guy said. "Sorry, I have yet to introduce myself. I am Mezo Shoji."

He extended his hand out to shake, but his arms were attached to each other. No, that was wrong. It was as if he had two extra limbs attached to his original arms, like webbed tentacles. The tentacles did not have hands like his arms, but instead ended in rounded nubs. Lee reasoned that it had something to do with his quirk.

"Whoaaa! That's sooo cool!" Mina was awestruck as she took in the extra limbs. "You have like a bunch of arms!"

"Is that your quirk, Shoji-san?" Lee couldn't help but ask, equally as starstruck as MIna. Quirks would never fail to amaze him.

Shoji's nodded his head. Then, to both Lee's and Mina's surprise, a mouth grew from one of the tentacles, teeth and all, and began to speak. "Yes, it is my quirk, Dupli-Arms. It allows me to replicate parts of my body-like my mouth for example," he explained.

"Whoaa," both Lee and Mina said at the same time. That was so cool!

"What about you two?" He asked them, "What are your names and quirks?"

His questions broke them out of their amazement. Mina spoke up first, "Hi, I'm Mina Ashido, but you can call me Mina. It is nice to meet you, Shoji-san," she greeted.

"And I am Rock Lee, but please call me Lee," Lee followed up. "It is also a pleasure to meet you!"

Shoji gave them both a nod. "It is also a pleasure to meet the both of you, Mina and Lee," He spoke from his mouth-tentacle. Tentacle mouth? Lee wasn't sure. "What are your quirks, if you do not mind me asking?"

Mina's eyes lit up. "Oooh, me first. My quirk is Acid," she held out her hands for Shoji and Lee leaned over to see as well. She noticed him and held her hands for the both of them to see. "I can secrete acid from these bad boys right here," she clenched her fists and the both of them leaned away quickly, not wanting to be too close to any kind of acid.

Mina giggled at their reactions and put her hands down. "I'm not going to demonstrate it you big babies," she turned her attention to Lee, "You're turn, Lee."

Reality struck Lee like a kick from Guy-sensei, and his heart fell into his gut. He did not have a quirk to introduce yet they all thought he had one. He was surrounded by people who all had quirks while he was the only one without. Did he tell them the truth? That he was quirkless yet still wanted to be a hero? He knew how they would react. Previous experiences have taught him what to expect.

(_Flashback)_

_He was back in middle school. First year and first day at a new school closer to where he now lived with Guy-sensei. It was his chance to start new away from where he came from. _

_The teacher had them all come to the front to introduce themselves and their dream to the class. One by one students went up and introduced themselves and most had the same dream._

_To become heroes. _

_It went by fast. Faster than Lee would've wanted. His dread hadn't gone away like he wished it would. If anything, it got worse. Eventually, it was his turn to introduce himself and he was terrified. He felt clammy and nervous. His anxiety skyrocketed as the teacher called his name. He shut his eyes and gripped his seat as hard as he physically could. Maybe she said the wrong name and he still had time to get himself together. _

_She repeated his name and Lee felt no different. Just impossibly terrified. It gripped his heart like an icy clamp and made his breaths come in shallow waves, but he knew he had to get up and do this. He just had to get it over with. So, slowly, silently he rose from his seat and began what felt like a death march to the front of the class. He walked as slow as he possibly could, but he couldn't stave off the inevitable. _

_Eventually, he made it to the front of the class where everyone waited for his introduction. Faces, so many faces, leaned forward in anticipation to hear what the new kid had to say. Excited and eager for something. He wanted to throw up. Maybe if he did, he'd be excused. _

_Slowly but steadily Lee gathered whatever scraps of courage and confidence he could find and tried to settle his heart._

_He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and he jolted. He snapped back to see who it was and it was the teacher smiling kindly down at him. _

"_It is okay to be nervous or scared," she said soothingly. "Just breathe and try your best, alright?"_

_He took a deep breath, just like she said. And several more after that. He could hear the murmurs begin. _

_"He's a scaredy cat," he heard. _

_"I wish he'd just hurry up."_

_"Maybe he can't speak."_

_"You think he's, y'know, slow?"_

_"Maybe he doesn't have a dream?"_

_A dream. He had a dream. To be a hero. In that moment, his terror slipped away as he realized something, how could he become a hero if he was too afraid to even say so? To afraid of how people would react? Heroes were fearless and brave, and if he wanted to be a hero he had to be those things as well! _

_Emboldened, Lee straightened up and poked out his chest, just like he'd seen All-Might do, and smiled wide, just like he'd seen Guy-sensei do, and was brave. _

"_I am Rock Lee and I am going to be the first hero without a quirk in the world!" He proclaimed to the class as confident as he could. _

_At first there was silence and Lee felt great. He'd done it! _

_Then, the class erupted in uproarious laughter. Everybody from the front to the back were either giggling or full blown laughing. Lee's smile cracked and fell from his face. _

_The teacher moved forward and tried to get the class to settle down._

_They-they were laughing at him. The whole class. Guy-sensei said to hope it'd be different, but it wasn't. It was the exact same thing as before. _

_His chest burned in anger and he felt tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes. He tried to stop them, wipe them away before anyone could see, but it didn't work. He sniffled and scowled down at the classroom floor as his tears began to fall. He clenched his fists at his side until they shook. _

_They didn't believe him. Nobody did. They never did. Nobody, but Guy-sensei believed him. He sniffled again and wiped at his eyes as the laughter continued despite the teachers attempts to get it to stop. His anger boiled over until he couldn't control it anyone. He wouldn't just take this! _

_"Grrr, just you all watch! I am going to be a wonderful hero! I'm going to become the number one hero in the world without a Quirk! Just you wait!" He yelled through his tears. _

_He didn't wait to see how they reacted to his words as he dashed out of the classroom. He wasn't sure if he heard the teacher call for him or not, but he wouldn't have stopped anyways. He had to get away from all the laughing. He'd become a hero! Guy-sensei believed in him, and he believed in himself! That's all that should matter._

_Right? _

_He made it to the bathroom and dashed in. He threw open the door and slammed it shut behind him and locked it. He tried to slow his breathing, but a sob came through instead. Then, it was like the floodgates were opened. _

_Lee slowly slid to the floor, back against the door, and began to cry heavily. He sobbed at the unfairness and at the laughing. The entire class laughed at him and his dream. _

_They always laughed. _

_(Flashback end) _

He was in such a rush and got caught up in getting to know her, he completely forgot that he'd have to tell her he was quirkless. Would she laugh too? Everything he had ever experienced from his peers told him she would. He was used to it, but it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. He'd be alone again, but, sadly, when was he not?

As he got older and understood society more, a part of him grew to understand why so many laughed at his dream of becoming a hero. It was unheard of, a hero without a quirk. Placing himself in their shoes, he saw how ridiculous it was. Ridiculous enough to make someone laugh at the sheer impossibility.

That didn't make it, or them, right, though.

He wasn't dumb. He knew his dream was impossible, but impossible was only a word. Everything was once thought of to be impossible until somebody proved it wasn't.

A hero without a quirk was thought of to be impossible, and he'd be the one to prove it wasn't.

If that meant bearing more laughter and jeers and insults and taunts, then so be it. He wouldn't go back on his dream. He didn't like it, he wished there was another way, but he couldn't just not tell her or anyone, right?

Right?

"Soooo, you gonna leave us hanging here or what, Lee?" Mina's voice snapped him out of his head.

Lee smiled weakly at her and found himself feeling a a grim sort of confidence. The kind where you know something bad was about to happen, but couldn't do anything but face it. He braced himself for her reaction, whatever it may be.

"Um, actually, I don-" he began.

"GOOD MORNING EXAMINEES!" An absolutely booming voice roared to the crowd.

Lee and Mina jumped in surprise and Shoji just blinked once as a reaction. The trio turned to the front of the auditorium where the now stood a tall, skinny man with spiky blonde hair that was swept back. To Lee it looked a bit like the backend of a bird. From there seats they could see the headphones he wore around his head and the sunglasses he wore on his face.

Fate of his relationship with his friends took a backseat for a moment, as it took Lee barely a second before he realized who was standing in front of them all.

"It is the pro hero, Present Mic," Lee said in amazement as he leaned forward in his seat, previous trepidation forgotten in the face of such a well known hero.

"Whoa, you're right, Lee," Mina said, unintentionally mimicking the boy beside her as she leaned forward as well. "He's so fashionable!" she squealed out with stars in her eyes.

Shoji side-eyed his two star-struck peers and shrugged his shoulders. He was more of Kamui Woods fan himself if he was being honest. Now if he was up there? He'd be just like the two beside him.

"Let's get that blood pumping!" He roared into the microphone. He dipped the microphone like it was a dancer and pointed a finger to the crowd, "Everybody say HEY!"

Crickets. No, not crickets. Crickets would mean there was sound. No, there was only silence. Dead, awkward silence. A moment passed and only one responded back.

"HEY!" Lee cheered back from his seat and raised his fist in excitement. The man's energy was truly youthful! He reminded him of Guy-sensei.

"Alright! That's what I like to hear! I'll be quick and present you a rundown of the Entrance Exam. Are you guys READYYY?!"

"YOSH!" Three guesses to who that was and the first two don't count.

"I love it! Aww yeah! Onto what you all really came here for," as one everyone in the auditorium seemed to lean forward, "the Entrance Exam will consist of a 10 minute mock battle in one of our urban battle centers. You might be wondering, how do I know which battle center I go to," Present Mic chuckled, "Well, I'll tell you," an image flashed on the screen behind him of a familiar looking card. "Those cards you received when you entered are your tickets to participate. The card tells you which arena you will be reporting to after this presentation, A, B, C, D, and so on. I'll give you all a few moments to locate your cards before laying down the ground rules for this practical exam."

"Oh!" Lee sounded in realization. He reached into one of his gi pockets, a welcome addition if he was being honest, and pulled out a card with giant letter "G" on it. They had given them out as they entered the auditorium and told to hand onto them. This must be what they were for.

He looked over to Mina and Shoji to let them know, but they already had their cards out and were looking at them.

"What does your guys' say?" He asked the two of them.

Shoji flipped his card to him and Mina. It read "C". "I have gotten arena 'C' I believe. What about you, Mina-san?" His one eye focused on the pink girl as she flipped her card to show the both of them.

"I got 'G' ," Mina answered.

They both then turned to Lee.

"Where are you going, Lee?" Shoji asked him.

Lee flipped his card to show them the 'G', and Mina squealed in excitement.

"Yay! We're in the same arena!" She cheered. "That means we can be on teams and help each other out," she realized.

Lee winced a little at that. He wasn't sure that was against the rules or not, but it wasn't something he wanted to do. He needed to take this entrance exam and pass it on his own merit. To prove that he could do it. If he took her help it was like he was cheating, and what he recognized as his pride revolted against the idea. Rebelled against using outside power to get him through what he had been spending basically his entire life training for.

His thoughts must have shown on his face because Mina deflated like a balloon with a tear. Her smile falling faster than a shooting star, and Lee's heart did a twisting motion in his chest. No, he didn't mean to-

"Oh, you don't want to work together." She said sullenly, her previous excitement gone with the wind. She smiled a crooked, weak smile that made Lee feel all types of awful, "That's fine, I guess. I shouldn't have just assumed like that."

Without another word, Mina turned back forward without a word and stared straight forward. The entire shift in her demeanor left Lee flat footed and unsure. How did he tell her that, yes, he did not, but for good reason? He needed to prove that he could do this by himself, on his own power. How did he tell her that it wasn't her, but him?

He looked at her pleadingly, but whatever he might've said was curtailed by Present Mic starting up again.

"Alright, now that you all got your location, let's go over the rules," he began. Behind him four images popped up on the screen. They were robots! Mina was right after all. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but she still looked straight ahead with all her focus on Present Mic. He sighed. He needed to pay attention too. This was important.

"These four robots that you see represent our scoring system. They are 0, 1, 2, and 3 point robots respectively," He explained to them. "Your guys' goal is to take down or immobilize as many as you can with your Quirks to earn points within the time we are giving you. Of course, attacking other examinees and performing any other unheroic acts are prohibited!"

"What's the point of the zero pointer? Why have it when it is worth no points?" A voice asked. Lee ignored his first instinct to look for the person who asked the question, though, he had to admit he was thinking along the same lines.

Present Mic's smile grew larger. With a flourish of his hand he pointed at where Lee assumed he saw the person who asked the question.

"That is a great question that I have an answer for!" He lowered his hand and on the screen behind him, the zero point robot took over completely. "The zero pointer is to act as a sort of obstacle. An unknown type of enemy that will challenge you unlike the 1, 2, and 3 pointers would. It is not unbeatable, far from it, but there is also no incentive applied to it to make you want to defeat it. Make of that what you will, young examinees," he said cryptically.

Lee didn't know what to make of that last part. What did the zero pointer mean for the exam? Quickly, he brushed it aside. Like Present Mic had said, there was no incentive to defeat it, so Lee would avoid it. Gaining zero points would not help him accomplish his goal.

"Any more questions? No? Yes? Doesn't matter!" He barked out a laugh. "My time with you all is up. It is time to get down to business! Please report to your designated arenas to proceed with the exam! Best of luck to you all and remember to go plus…," he tapered off at the end, setting it up for the crowd.

And they couldn't just not deliver, "ULTRA!" the auditorium full of potential heroes boomed in response.

Present Mic smiled wide once more before stepping down, and from there the auditorium began to disperse. The trio got up and began to leave with the literal sea of examinees towards there designated battle arenas.

Shoji turned to the two of them. "I will hopefully be seeing you all when school starts for I have no intention to fail after making it so far," he spoke to them from one of his duplicated mouths. "Best of luck to both of you, Mina," a nod, "Lee," another nod. With that said, Shoji headed towards his arena and melded into the sea of bodies.

That left Lee with Mina in an awkward sort of silence. Maybe it was only awkward for Lee because Mina seemed to have no issue with the quiet between the two of them as they walked to their testing arena. He wanted to apologize to her, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that perhaps he didn't owe her an apology. He did nothing wrong. She was the one hurt over a wrong assumption.

His thoughts did nothing to lessen the feelings of guilt he had though, and he wasn't sure why.

Yes, it was not his fault she was hurt and ignoring him, he thought to himself, but he was still responsible in part to her current mood. He'd just focus on the test, and apologize to her afterwards when he had the chance. He had bigger fish to fry, as Guy-sensei once said. But leaving her to stew left a bad taste in his mouth. What if she was unfocused because of it? Then she wouldn't do as well, and he would be partially at fault. That would be unacceptable!. They both did. Maybe he could try something.

Eventually they got to the entrance of the makeshift city in silence as the group of examinees chatted around them. Lee was one of the ones in front with Mina still beside him in a sullen silence.

He looked at her as she pointedly ignored his presence. Time to try something.

He "I wish you the best of luck, Mina," as he expected he frustratingly received no response. So, he tried something a little more heartfelt and true. "I hope to see you when classes start up in the fall, so we can begin our journeys in becoming heroes together," he mustered his best smile and thumbs up and gave it, hopeful to get something out of her besides silence. For the little time that he had known her, silence and quiet just did not seem to fit who Mina was.

To his pleasant surprise, he heard a girly snort and his eyes snapped open to see a small smile.

She still did not look at him, but he knew this was a sign that he did not completely mess things up with her. At least for the moment.

"You're funny, Lee," She murmured with a small smile. "Hmph, since we are not going to be teaming up, I'm aiming to get even more points than you to show you your mistake. Hope you don't fall behind," She challenged, full of bravado and brimming with confidence.

Lee smiled, one filled with excitement at the prospect of a challenge. He liked challenges. "Hmph, it is you who should be the worried one."

He faced forward, and tightened his focus. His goal? Destroy as many robots as possible. How would he do that? Why, how else?

By punching them really, really hard.

With no warning or even countdown a resounding, "GO!" was blasted out of the speakers, and the exam had begun.

A/N

Boom, so chapter a few things with Mina and her backstory from what the anime says. Why? For plot reasons of course. Like it or hate it, the implications will be felt as the story continues. I chose Mina to be the one to first meet Lee because she makes the most sense out of them all to me at least. Anyways, that's the chapter. If you catch the Dragon Ball Z Abridged reference in the chapter, kudos to you. It's fairly obvious too.

Read and review. Updates will once every week give or take a day or two. I have the majority of this story plotted out anyways, so any suggestions won't be taken into account. I am trying to get to the main plot-line as fast as possible without just skimming over Lee's background. It will be the main influence on a lot of his decisions down the line after all.

Anyways, I'm outta here. MHA recomendation of the day is The Quirkless Hero: Deku! By PolarKarma-No.777. It is a really great quirkless Izuku story.


	3. Chapter 3: Entrance Exam Pt 2

Chapter 3: Entrance Exam Pt. 2

"YOSH!" Lee yelled in exertion and exuberance as his fist obliterated yet another soulless machine bent on stopping him from accomplishing his dream!

...A little dramatic, sure, but it made things a little more exciting in a way. He pulled his fist from the army green chassis of the now-dead machine and shook it out. His fists were a little numb from punching straight through metal over and over, but his strength made it easier yet harder. Easier, he could just use his fists. Harder, he only had his fists.

Eh, one must take the good with the bad for that is a part of growing up and learning just like Gai-sensei said.

Jogging forward, Lee heard some mechanical clanking coming from around the corner and looked up to see yet another green machine step forward. It's 'eyes' zeroed in on him, and the two-legged machine turned to face him fully.

Lee slid into the Goken seamlessly, a smirk on his face.

There was silence as the two combatants stared at each other, trying to gauge each others' weaknesses. Between man versus machine, it was the machine who attacked first, its' programming demanding nothing less.

It rushed forward on thick, blocky legs and cocked back its large, green arm to swing and down its target. The thick-eyebrowed one had taken out many of its brethren, and it would be the one to avenge them! It swung at the target, all data pointing towards direct contact, and hit...nothing.

Oh...oh, no.

Its optical programming tried its best to relocate the target as quickly as possible, but only registered a dark, foot-shaped object rocketing towards its head. Odds of dodging, zero percent. Bracing for imp-

Lee grunted as he donkey kicked straight through the head of another robot. He huffed and did his best to ignore the burn in his hips and quads after that kick. His legs shook slightly and he frowned slightly. His body couldn't keep this up for much longer and he wasn't sure how many points he had at this point. He lost count of how many points he'd accumulated at this point, and the unsettling feeling of being unsure bubbled in his gut like one of those colorful fizzy drinks he saw sold at the market by the dojo.

"3 minutes left! 3 minutes left!" Present Mic's voice blared from the speaker system somewhere.

That wasn't a lot of time left. And there were no robots in sight. This was not good.

No, he thought fiercely to himself. He couldn't think like that. If he wasn't sure that meant he just had to keep going until there were no more robots in the arena! He had to go Plus Ultra just like Present Mic said.

Lee took a settling breath and began moving forward, pushing all thoughts of fatigue to the back of his mind to be tossed out the window. Guy-sensei wouldn't give up just because he was a little tired. No, he'd break through his limits to achieve his goal, and that was what Lee would do too.

With monumental effort, Lee took a step, then another, soon he was walking, then he was running. Faster, he had to move faster. He had to keep moving, find more robots, and destroy them. Don't think about being tired. Heroes don't get tired.

Keep moving. Find robots. Destroy them.

Move. Robots. Destroy.

Move. Robots. Destroy.

He heard the whirring he'd quickly come to associate with one of the robots and began to move towards it. It got louder and louder, and he a person began to yell out as well. Lee couldn't see what was going on, but it sounded like it was coming across the street. He cut across the street and hurdled a barrier. He rolled with the landing and popped up to see a couple robots slowly cornering a single, muscular teen in a tank-top and sweatpants with spiky brown hair on his head and thick lips.

The teen was breathing heavily, lungs heaving with effort, and his eyes were drooping along with his guard. The teen tried to reach for something along his waist, but, as if signaled, one of the robots swung at him forcing the teen to move his hand and dodge.

The teen rolled under the wide blow and countered with a haymaker of his own.

"Rah!" he yelled in exertion as he swung, but to Lee's surprise, the strong-looking blow barely dented the green machine.

The teen recoiled in shock which left him open to an attack from the second robot, and it didn't squander the opportunity. Its thick, blocky limb swung and smacked the teen right in his flank, and the teen he hit the ground with a grunt.

Lee was moving before his mind was even made up. In the seconds it took for the boy to struggle to get to his knees and allow the robots time to close in, Lee had gotten there ready to assist his fellow examinee.

He slid up behind one of the robots and wound his leg back for a jumping roundhouse kick.

The air whooshed as his leg cut through it and slammed into the robots head. The machine's head crumpled under the force and it was knocked aside. Lee landed and, on instinct alone, crouched underneath the swing from the second robot. On his toes, he dashed into the robots reach before it could retract its arm and unloaded a devastating uppercut that left his hand acutely throbbing and another robot without its head.

Lee winced and shook out his hand a little bit. He looked at it and noticed a few red blotches underneath his white wrappings. He'd broken the skin on his knuckles underneath his wrappings from the force of his swings hitting metal. Darn.

Now he was going to have to replace his wraps.

Lamenting aside, Lee turned to the guy he saved and was immediately greeted with a tired but wide smile.

"Those were some sweet moves, guy! Hehe," the teen Lee saved chuckled embarrassingly' "you really saved my butt."

The teen stuck his hand out for Lee to shake. "The name is Satou. Rikido Satou," he introduced with a grateful smile.

Lee wasn't one to pass up an opportunity so he shook the hand and felt delighted at the strength he felt behind it. "Rock Lee."

Satou smiled and retracted his hand "Ah, thank you, Lee, for the save, but this is a test after all, and all the points matter, right?" He said with a wide smile. "We only have a couple minutes left, I think, so I'll see you around, Lee-san," he told him.

Lee nodded his head. "You are correct, Satou-san. I wish you the best of luck!"

"Same to you," Satou responded back.

With that, the two teens separated and went to accumulate more points.

Lee jogged around trying to find any more robots to get points off of, but was, once again, stumped in his attempts to find any.

Suddenly, without any warning, the ground shook and rumbled. Lee swayed with the shaking and stayed on his feet, but immediately he wondered what it was that caused that shaking.

As if to answer his question, from behind one of the buildings a few blocks away, a robot bigger than anything he had encountered during the test lumbered its way through the streets, leaving behind cracked and cratered pavement and broken glass. Lee felt his heart drop in his gut and he gulped in slight fear. That...what was that?

"What is that?" a person said from somewhere around Lee.

"I have no idea, but I am not going anywhere near it," another answered.

A part of Lee felt they had the right idea, and with the way his muscles were throbbing, it would be the smarter move to go nowhere near that robot.

With a mighty swing of its arms, the robot smashed its giant limb into the earth like the world's biggest hammer. The ground broke and cracked like a pack of crackers and a thick plume of dust erupted into the air. The cracks raced up the street and the thick pavement cracked and splintered like a plank of wood.

Gasps and strangled sounds of shock and surprise sounded out around him and Lee felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face.

This was unreal.

What were they supposed to do against something like that? Did the Pros even face something like this?

"One minute left! One minute left!" Present Mic's voice rang out from the speakers scattered throughout the faux city turned battleground.

The single, giant red eyes flashed a menacing crimson and it began to stomp its way in their direction one slow, long step at a time. Okay, a minute. He could avoid that thing for a minute. Just as he turned around to go away from the giant robot, a distressed voice met his ears and dread filled his chest.

"Help! Somebody! Somebody help me!" A familiar voice rang out from far away.

Lee turned fast and his eyes jumped around trying to find the source of the call for help.

There!

Pink in a sea of grey and black. It was Mina and she was stuck! From what he could see, her leg had gotten stuck underneath a slab of concrete that must've fallen on her when the robot smashed the ground into smithereens.

Speaking of the aforementioned robot, the thing was scarily close to where Mina was trapped. Maybe a block of two, but for a robot of that size, it meant very little.

"Dude, there's somebody trapped over there!" one of teens around him called out.

"And the robot is walking right towards where they are!" another voice said with a tinge of panic.

That much was obvious to Lee, so he did not see the point in the teen stating it.

Lee had to do something. He couldn't just keep standing useless. Gai-sensei always said to follow his gut, and his gut was telling him to move and help her. He stepped forward, but he almost collapsed under the strain. He looked down at his legs and he could feel the muscles in his thighs and calves shake and throb.

He grit his teeth and forced his leg forward in a shaky step, but ended up on one knee.

He hissed out a breath from behind a cage of teeth and felt frustration rising inside of him. No, no, no! Not right here!

He desperately tried to rise to his feet, dredging up any vestige of stability and strength, and barely ended up hunched over breathing heavily. He had reached his physical limit with his legs. The weights felt even heavier around his ankles and he could barely stand.

He couldn't...he couldn't do it. He felt pressure began to build up behind his eyes, and he knew tears of frustration when he felt them.

Darnnit! He thought to himself as a few tears dribbled from his eyes and onto his hands supporting himself on his knees. He wasn't enough!

From around him, the surrounding examinees were talking.

"She needs help, b-but the teachers wouldn't let somebody get seriously hurt in this test, right? Right?" One of them asked.

"N-no. Yea, no. They'd stop it before somebody got seriously hurt. They're heroes and they know what they were doing, haha," one ended with a nervous laugh.

"You're right! I'm not going to go anywhere near that robot!" Another agreed.

This was the general consensus the teens surrounding Lee came to and they began to step away from approaching robot and the stuck Mina.

Hunched over, listening to these people decide to do nothing, lit a fire fueled by outrage in Lee's belly. They would do nothing when somebody was stuck and needed help? That was-that was..?! How could they? Here they were, with the ability to help somebody that clearly needed it, and they chose not to. That wasn't what a hero would do and they all were supposed to be heroes too! It was cowardly and heroes weren't cowards.

Lee took a deep, shaky breath and tried to even out his breaths and think.

The facts were that Mina was hurt and calling for help with a giant robot bearing down on her. He couldn't just ignore her and trust somebody else to save her. If they wouldn't do anything, then he would. He would...he would what?

He was viciously reminded of his shaky legs and tired muscles and a feeling of helplessness rose within him. What could he do as he was? He wouldn't be able to save her like this. He needed a boost, he needed…

It dawned on Lee what he would have to do, and he swallowed the ball of fear in his throat.

He'd have to beg Gai-sensei for forgiveness after this, but Lee saw no other option. Nobody else was going to do something.

With a wince, he reached down and unstrapped his weights from around his ankles and almost sighed in relief at their absence. He slid his feet apart as best he could, just like Gai-sensei showed him, and he breathed in deep. His heart rate settled quickly, and he reached deep within himself just like he practiced. He mentally followed his chakra pathways leading to his brain where he knew what he needed was. He felt around and found it, glowing and hot as the sun was. It was there, waiting for him to do what he had been trained to do.

So, he reached out and grabbed it.

On the outside, every teen around Lee stopped as they felt some sort of pressure rising from near them. Some thought it was another robot, but very quickly that assumption was thrown to the wind as their attention was drawn by a fellow examinee with a weird bowl-cut.

Around him, waves of energy were being let off and his hair shifted and moved to an unfelt breeze. They stopped and held their breath as if the slightest thing would mess up whatever it was they were witnessing.

In a yell of exertion, the boy shouted and expelled whatever energy was building inside of his with enough force to create fast winds and throw up dust.

What they heard, they would remember for years to come. The examinees would jot it down as the first time they ever witnessed it. The teachers watching would look upon in surprise, one in recognition, and wonder if they had made all the wrong assumptions.

"Second Gate: Gate of Healing! Open!"

They all watched, awe-struck, as the boy lowered himself into a runner's position and then, on some unspoken signal, he took off.

His destination?

The giant Zero-Pointer

.

.

.

Mina felt like panicking right now.

"Somebody! Anybody! Please, help me! Please!" She called out desperately. The fact she had to call out like this in the first place tore at her pride and made her feel humiliated. When they released the Zero-Pointer, she was unlucky enough to be too close.

And then, in a heart-stopping show of strength, the thing crushed the street leaving which resulted in her current, shitty predicament.

Gosh, how pitiful she must be if she couldn't avoid some stupid pieces of debris.

She grunted as she once again tried to lift the piece off of her leg, but she just didn't have enough leverage nor strength. She tried to dissolve it, but the cement was too thick for her acid to dissolve before the robot stepped on her. God, of all things to get stuck under. It just had to be a giant piece of rock.

Totally going to hit the gym after this, she thought to herself sullenly.

"Help me! I'm stuck! Please, anybody!" She yelled out again to whoever might have heard her. Somebody, had to have, right? There were a ton of people in here with her!

She felt the ground shake underneath her and she jolted in fear. She looked up to see a shadow move to cover her. She gulped and felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to be squished like some kind of bug, but here she was utterly helpless. The robot was getting closer and closer, and she was still stuck. A sharp current of fear ran through her despite her best attempts to be calm, to be cool. Heroes were supposed to be calm in the face of giant freakin' robots, right? Right? Robots that were looming over just like, just like when she was younger and her classmates did the-

Her breath began to come in shorter and shorter breaths. Her chest tightened and her muscles tensed. Her vision swam and she clenched her teeth and balled her hands into tight, shaky fists.

No, not right now. She couldn't-They weren't here. It was just her, stuck, and a giant robot. She was here, she was real, she was alive. She was here, she was real, she was alive. She was-

Another thunderous step uncaringly shook her out her mantra. The robot was closer, its shadow all-encompassing, and she was alone in being swallowed by it.

She sat up as best she could and pushed at the rock. She pushed at it and when that didn't work she tried to lift it. She got her hands underneath the darn thing and lifted with everything her arms had to offer. She would not just lay here to be freakin' squished like some sort of bug somebody found in their kitchen

She lifted what felt like all the pounds in the whole world with arms that most definitely could not lift all the pounds in the whole world.

She breathed heavily in exertion, her shoulders throbbing and forearms burning in exertion.

The robot ever so slowly raised its foot to take another step. This one would probably do it too. Squish her like she was nothing. But, no! She was more than that! She was going to become a hero and show the whole freaking world what Mina Ashido could do!

She found purchase, her fingers gripping the rough rock, and tried lifting again with all her strength.

"Allow me to assist you, Mina!"

...Huh

Mina looked up and was greeted with a familiar smile that was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to witness. It was Lee! But, he looked a little different, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.

She barely had the time to nod before he put his hands right next to hers, and in the back of her mind she noted the raw power she felt from being this close, but she was mainly focused on getting unstuck. He was there and together, they heaved with every ounce of strength in their bodies. The debris moved and Mina slid out from underneath as quickly as she could. Lee dropped the piece and it landed with an intimidating crash. Mina knew it was heavy, felt it was heavy, seen it was heavy, but to Lee? It might as well have been a pebble.

She didn't know any better, felt the heat he was giving off and attributed it to how he looked. Maybe it was his Quirk? Was it a strength enhancement?

"No, time, Mina. I apologize in advance!" Lee hurriedly told her.

Wait, huh?

Suddenly, Mina was swept off of the ground and into Lee's arms. On reflex, she threw her arms around his neck to secure herself just in time, as Lee bent at the knees and dashed away just as the robot's foot crashed into the ground.

To Mina, it felt like she was going 100 miles per hour or something scarily close. Like those moments when you stick your head out of the window when the car is going pretty fast and you can't really see or breathe, but you know you're going crazy fast. Yea, it felt like that.

It was only a few seconds until they stopped and Mina felt the sudden shift of momentum move something in her stomach in a way it was not supposed to.

Oh, oh no.

It was in the arms of Lee where she barfed all over his chest and her arms.

"Time is up examinees! The test is over!" Present Mic's voice echoed.

Oh, well, good. That was good, right? Oh, wow. She was suddenly feeling really light-headed. Dark, it was getting really dark and she was getting really sleepy. The test was over, right? She could go to slee-

The darkness and exhaustion overwhelmed her too fast and the last thing she heard was a panicked, "Mina!" from Lee before it all went black.

A/N

Gosh this took forever. Sorry bout that. Life hits hard and it hits fast, but that's no excuse really. But, regardless, here is the chapter. Short, but I need to get through it to really get the ball rolling on this fic. Some of you might think that Lee overreacted or showed his cards early, but it was only the second gate and that isn't anything crazy. Some of you might ask, why did he still have the weights on and I answer that by pointing to the Chunin Exams. He had them on there for majority of it, so it made sense. Why did Mina pass out? Simple answer? Vertigo from moving faster than she is used to and then suddenly stopping. The suddenness, cuz Lee loves to stop on a dime, caused her to get all dizzy and then throw up and the stress of a near panic attack caused her to black out. Fun times. Anyways, read, review and have fun.

Fic Suggestion: To Infinity by creamofwheat2311


	4. Chapter 4: Results

Chapter 4: Results

Fic recommendation of the Day: Darth Vader: Hero of Naboo by AkumiKami64

"Both desire and imagination are stored in the mind of the individual and when stretched, both have the potential to position a person for greatness." – Eric Thomas

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.

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_She wishes she could flush herself down the toilet if only to have a way out of here_

"_Oh look, it's little Mina again," a shrill voice rang out in her ears. Mina couldn't stop the drip of fear that slid down her spine, as her heartbeat began to speed up. _

_Mina turned from her locker and greeted her tormentors with all of the courage of a dog when the vacuum got turned on._

_Which is to say, none. _

_Quickly, the group surrounded her, blocking off all her possible exits. A practiced motion, as they had countless days of practice in bullying her. _

_From the group, the bane of her existence stepped forward with her normal skin and normal hair and normal eyes and normal everything. The only thing out of place was the criminally cruel smirk that twisted its way along glossy lips and was backed with pearly white teeth._

_Gosh, how she hated those shiny ass teeth. _

"_How was your weekend, Mina? Figure out how ugly you are?" _

_The monster hidden behind makeup shone through as it leaned in forcing Mina to lean back in terror._

"_Do you need a reminder?"_

* * *

Mina woke groggily to a bright light slapping her in the face.

If this was the afterlife, it sucked.

It was chilly, her mouth tasted like spaghetti, and her eyes felt crusty. It was a bunch of crap is what it was. And spaghetti? Really? Didn't she have spaghetti for lunch before the exams…And here comes the embarrassment.

She remembered it all now vividly, too vividly. The desperation, hope, nausea, barfing, and peaceful embrace of unconsciousness. Oh, how she wished that last one would happen again. She couldn't even think of talking to anyone after that, especially Lee.

"Ah, I think she is waking up!" Lee's voice resounded in her ears.

Yup, the afterlife was officially garbage. Maybe if she just laid here and acted like she was asleep, he'd go away.

"I know you're conscious, girlie, so don't go acting like you aren't. Plus, your friend here was been worried sick and pacing a mark into my floor," an older voice said and dashed her hopes away with all the tact of a sledgehammer.

Mina opened her eyes and was greeted with a bright light that-oh wait. It was just Lee's smile.

"Oh, Mina! I am so glad you are awake and not severely injured!" He cheered.

Mina suddenly found herself speechless, as she had never been in this kind of situation before. Someone who wasn't her grandmother was glad she wasn't hurt.

Something bubbled up inside of her. Something similar to when she was around her grandmother when she would give her one of her patented hugs. Happiness, she recognized. She was happy that somebody cared.

A wide, bright smile grew on her face to mirror Lee's own and she gave him a thumbs-up, just like he did, and responded, "You know it! You can't hold an Ashido down!" She claimed.

Lee nodded his head with a smile. "Yosh! That is the spirit, Mina!"

"Yosh!" Mina mimicked with a giggle.

"Yosh!" Lee responded right back.

"Alright! Alright, since you are healed up enough to be screaming like that, then you are well enough to get up and moving," the old lady interrupted.

Mina and Lee both stopped their celebration abruptly. Mina looked at the old lady curiously.

"Uh, not to be rude," Mina began slowly. "But who are you?"

**Chiyo Shuzenji, Youthful Heroine "Recovery Girl"**

**Quirk: Healing**

The woman stepped forward and pointed her cane, a cane that looked like a giant injector needle, at Mina and introduced herself. "I am Recovery Girl, or, if you want to be specific, the one who healed your pink keister after your friend here hauled you in," she answered sharply.

The woman looked at Mina with a slightly irritated look, while Mina looked into space confused.

...What was a keister?

Luckily enough, Lee chose to intervene right then and there. "Ah, I am so sorry, Ms. Recovery Girl," he apologized. "We did not mean any offense to you for not knowing who you are. I am extremely thankful for healing my friend! Right, Mina?" He asked and looked to the spaced-out Mina.

Mina, unbeknownst to the other two occupants, continued to contemplate what keister was.

Was it a food?

Was it a metaphor for something?

She was violently shaken from her thoughts by a sharp nudge to her shoulder and she refocused on the older lady, Recover Girl, and Lee, who bumped her.

"Huh?" She blurted out confused.

Lee laughed nervously while Recovery Girl just gave them both a flat stare.

"Just get out of my office."

"Yes, ma'am. Let's go, Mina."

"Wait, what's a keister?"

A brandished needle-cane.

"...I'm just gonna head out."

* * *

Principal Nezu sat at his desk watching several screens replaying the footage of today's entrance exams. To any normal person, the number of screens and footage would be overwhelming and hard to focus on, but Nezu was built for such tasks.

Honestly, he was just reviewing his staff's work, as they had already tallied the points. But, as principal, he had to go over what they did as he was not given the chance to see each and every group perform. It was no slight against them and they knew that. The fact was that he was just better suited for this job due to his Quirk.

It was in his nature really.

So, here he was finalizing all of the points accumulated by the examinees. He reviewed them at a speed most just couldn't keep up with. Some got no points, others got some, others came very close, but these all would not make the cut. The thick stack of 'denied' examinees towered over the in comparison measly stack of 'accepted' students.

This, though, was typical of UA and everyone trying to attend knew it. UA was the premier hero school in the east, and they earned that reputation with the quality heroes that came from here.

Also, the personal endorsement All Might, the Symbol of Peace, didn't hurt.

Nezu combed through the 'accepted' students with a keen eye and memorized the students that he would be seeing in the coming year or years if they overcame the many challenges thrown at them from both UA and the world. There was enough for a full class. No, two full hero courses. Hmm, Aizawa and Vlad would have their hands full with these ones.

There were more than a few legacies in this year and other notables. Ingenium's younger brother, Endeavor's youngest son with the dual-Quirk mutation, the Yaoyorozu girl who was recommended, and a few others. These ones had a leg up on the competition and it showed in their performance or lack thereof in the case of Yaoyorozu. Regardless, it was impressive.

Some, though, came from nothing and those were in the majority. The girl with the _very _intriguing Quirk that affected Gravity, the boy who topped the scoreboards with his explosive quirk, the boy who destroyed the Zero-pointer with a single punch, and a few others were sure to make waves in the coming semester. He could just feel it. Finally, came the boy who was Quirkless.

Watching the footage, Nezu couldn't keep the small smile from forming onto his face as he focused on one screen in particular.

On it, a boy in green with a bowl cut hairstyle cut bashed through any and every robot that stood in his way-very much like the blond-haired boy who unleashed miniature explosions from his hands. Nezu watched the Quirk-less boy use nothing but his fists and feet destroy the robots that other examinees had trouble with. Granted, the robots were mostly hollow, but that didn't mean they weren't tough enough to prove a decent challenge to the untrained. Nezu watched as the footage finally came to the moment where the boy, Lee, summoned up some sort of power from nowhere to rescue a fellow examinee from where she was pinned underneath some debris.

Nezu knew that she was in no danger, the foot only looked like it was going to step on her, but it would've stopped once it detected the presence of a human underneath it and adjusted accordingly.

Probably.

Still, the power Lee produced was so similar to that of a Quirk that Nezu had to go through his medical files just to reassure himself that Lee did not have one. He did not, so what was this ability that gave him such Quirk-like abilities?

Was he a later bloomer and the medical records just didn't update? He threw the possibility of him lying out of the window, as what would he gain by lying about such a seemingly powerful quirk?

No, Nezu concluded, something was going on with that boy that he didn't know and Nezu felt that familiar tingle make itself known in the back of his head at the prospect of learning something new.

He'd figure out the answer to the question that was Rock Lee. After all, Nezu mused to himself as he stamped the score sheet with the words ' Accepted', he would be seeing him in the coming semester.

Now, to make preparations for their arrivals.

"190, 191," Lee grunted out as he tried to keep his balance on the balance ball. Normally, this would not be that hard, but Guy- sensei had upped his training to another level. So, here he was, cranking out push-ups in a handstand while trying to keep his balance.

"192, 193," He breathed out. Had to watch his breaths. Being upside-down made the blood rush to his head and made his legs feel numb, so focusing on his breathing was even more important than with a regular exercise.

Sweat dripped down his forehead and splattered against the rubber of the balance ball reminiscent of rain on a window. Already, he was sweating in other places and his hand was beginning to get a little moist.

Ugh, moist. Lee didn't appreciate that word much. Wait, he needed to focus! Had to finish this set

"194, 195," He continued to count as breathed in and out with each pushup.

"196, 19-," He began.

"LEE!"

The loud noise broke Lee's state of balance and his hand slipped. his arm folded at the elbow, and he toppled over like a house of cards.

He hit the floor of the dojo with a soft grunt and groaned as he tried to catch his breath.

From his position on the floor, Guy-sensei walked in his field of view smiling brighter than the sun.

Why was he…Lee's eyes searched and latched onto the envelope in his sensei's hand.

His eyes widened in recognition and he felt hope begin to grow in his chest.

Lee slowly got up, eyes glued to the envelope that held his fate.

Guy smiled amusingly at his protege and said, "Why don't you open it up, Lee? See what your future has in store for you," He told him and offered the envelope to his student.

Lee's eyes flashed from the outstretched envelope to his Sensei before he slowly grabbed the letter. With almost a frame like care, Lee ripped open the letter to find...a weird device thing.

Confusion fell upon him, and he shook the envelope out to see if there was anything other than that in there.

Suddenly the device in his hand lit up and a "Hello!" Rang out from it.

The sudden greeting shocked him and he almost dropped the device that was now projecting an image of a...mouse? No, wait. That was the principle, right?

"I am the UA Principal, Nezu, and this is a prerecorded message for Rock Lee. If that is who is hearing this, great! If it isn't, well please find him because this is important," Nezu said.

He was Rock Lee, yes. Lee didn't utter a word, too transfixed on listening. He knew what was at stake. Moment of truth time.

"As you may know, it is required a minimum of 60 villain points to be accepted into the Hero course. After the scores were tallied, you, Rock Lee, had earned a total of 39 villains points making you Close, but not close enough for UA standards. I am sorry," Nezu spoke neutrally.

Silence. Lee couldn't even hear his own heartbeat. He...he didn't make it? He didn't get enough points. But he was so sure that…After all the work he put in and he only got 39 points?

His head dropped as he felt his eyes begin to water. He couldn't do it! After all the training and-and all the days and nights, he still wasn't enough. He-he didn't...

A hand landed heavily on his shoulder and shook Lee out of his thoughts. Lee looked up at his mentor through watery eyes.

"I-I didn't make it Guy-Sensei," He whispered sadly. "I-I wasn't good enough to get in."

Guy- Sensei smiled softly, one Lee knew was only reserved for special moments. This was one of them. Lee knew he'd say something to try to soften the blow of being rejected, but didn't know what could make this any easier.

"The message isn't over, Lee," He spoke softly to him.

What? Lee turned his head back to the projected image of Nezu that still stood there. Why was he still here?

"About 45 seconds have passed and I think that is enough time for you to realize I am still here," The principal said. "As I was saying, off of Hero points alone, you did not make it, but there is another category you did well in that more than made up for it. That is in Rescue Points,"

Wait, he didn't mean…?

"Due to your heroic actions of aiding and rescuing two other examines, you earned 45 rescue points,"

Tears began to flow down Lee's face and he was in no hurry to stop them.

"Making your grand total score out to be 84 points. That is more than enough to get you into UA Academy, young man,"

A sob. He was sobbing now. Crying as hard as he could. He'd done it. He made it.

"We hope to see you in the coming semester. Welcome to your hero academia, Rock Lee!" Nezu finished with a small smile.

The device slipped from his hands as Guy-Sensei gathered his sobbing student into his arms and cried along with him. Lee latched onto his teacher almost desperately and cried into his shoulder tears of joy and relief.

He muttered through tears, "I did it. I did it, Guy-Sensei. I did it," and his mentor held him just a little bit tighter.

He'd done it. He'd really done it.

* * *

Lee was nervous, and he usually didn't get nervous like that. After having to literally fight blindfolded on a swaying platform as someone swung a bo-staff at you, nervousness kind of has no place. Still, people? People were something Lee didn't have the most experience with.

This was why he was nervously pulling at his uniform tie, ugh he disliked ties almost as much as his sensei, while he stood in front of the door that protected him from the people inside.

He'd have to enter eventually, though. He knew that he would have to face the teenagers with Quirks that also got into UA. This was his future and he had to grab it by the reins and take control. He wasn't a child anymore! He was a man! A manly man!

Somewhere a red-haired teenager was overcome with the desire to scream a "Yosh!" out to the world. Weird.

Lee was a man who would totally enter this classroom and sit down like a student because earned his place here just like everyone else did.

He breathed in and out deeply and mustered up the courage to push open the door. He stepped into a loud, chatty space filled with teens of all shapes and sizes.

Slowly he took in the scene before him. There was a boy with reptilian features, two girls with long green hair, a boy with silver hair with extra something around his eyes, a person whose head was not really a head but a thing with holes and a weird opening. Lee really wasn't sure what to make of that.

There were so many colors and oddities and it was... wonderful.

So caught up in it all, he never even seen the orange-haired girl slide directly to his right.

"Hiya!" A voice rang out next to him.

The sudden greeting that was way too close shocked him, and on reflex, he swiped at it. To his surprise, the swipe was firmly blocked with a solid forearm block. Eyes widened in surprise, he quickly traced the arm up to a pair of green eyes that shone with amusement and understanding it seemed.

"Martial artist, I'm guessing?" She said eyes glancing at the arm that he almost accidentally hit her with. She dropped the guard which prompted Lee to pull his arm back as well. She shook her arm out a little, "Got some strength there, so that's something. Should've known you did martial arts by the hand wraps, but," she shrugged here, "could never be too sure."

She held out her other hand for him to shake and said, "I'm Itsuka Kendo. Welcome to class 1-B."

* * *

A/N: Long one but had to answer some questions: Boom, okay. Took forever cuz I really was stuck on deciding what I wanted to do with Lee. I want this to be his academia, to be his story without overshadowing Midoriya and his development because he is still All Might's successor, ya feel me? So, I know I couldn't put him in UA and still make him main character-esque without moving over all of the characters in class 1-A, yknow? So, after a long debate with my friend, I decided to put him in 1-B because it helps keep the story on track, it gives Lee the space to develop, and it doesn't take away from anybody minus the character I swapped him out with. That was Manga Fukidashi by the way. Anywho, yes! Class 1-B where the "second bests" are. Note how I put quotes around that because with Lee they're about to put in the spotlight a lot more due to the things I have cooking for the arcs. The happenings of class 1-B are generally unknown, so I have to create some actually worthwhile stuff. If you have any ideas, shoot them my way. I'm planning to follow the apprehension test, the battle trial, and the other arcs where they're with 1-A or it just makes sense for them to do as well.

Also, to address Lee having Chakra. He does and doesn't. Chakra is a very real concept in the real world that doesn't have the same implications and powers that they bring in Naruto. They're more spiritual. In this fic, Lee, as a martial artist, can channel that energy through his chakra gates, another real-world concept, to give him a boost. Like an adrenaline rush with some pizazz. It wasn't an ability he was born with, he wasn't gifted it, and he didn't take it. He **earned **it.

Now, it is nowhere near the level of the anime. He isn't 'super' strong or 'super' fast. What was described in the last chapter was an exaggeration. He is just able to get to the peak of human capabilities through it and humans can do some crazy stuff when the need arises. You have real-life humans that can deadlift 1,000 pounds, bench press over 700 pounds, squat over 1000 pounds, run at damn near 30 mph, punch and kick hard enough to fracture a bone and so many other things. Do you know how hard it is to fracture or break a bone? Crazy hard! These are all within the range of actual people who do not have 'superpowers'. Everything Lee does is 100% bonafide all-natural products of hard work, hence the title and the character. There will be drawbacks, though, because, realistically, there is only so much the human body can handle for an extended period of time. He's not Batman who has plot armor and money to save him.

That's it, though. Short chapter cuz it's a transitional one. After I'm done with finals, I'll be able to finish the next chapter, ya digg? Stay up and watch the new season that is out now.


	5. Chapter 5: Quirk Apprehension Tests

Ch 5: Quirk Apprehension Test

Fic rec of the day: Silver by Imyoshi

"Decide what your truth is. Then live it."  
― Kamal Ravikant

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Lee shook off his surprise quickly and reached out to shake the hand of the girl. Itsuka Kendo. He grabbed the hand and bowed at the waist, "I am so sorry, Kendo-san! Please forgive me!"

The orange-ette smiled kindly, not that he could see, and pulled her hand away to wave him off. "You're fine. It's not like I was hurt. Besides, if I got hit then that just means I'm not as good as I thought I was, right?" She said with a casual shrug of her shoulders.

That made sense, Lee reasoned. Lee straightened up and smiled brightly at her. Maybe almost hitting people was the right way to make friends? He was 2 for 2 so far.

At that thought, a little pang of something hit him at the thought of Mina. He hoped that she got in because it looked like she wasn't here. Maybe she was running late?

He switched focus onto the girl in front of him and smiled wide and honest, as Guy-sensei told him too, and introduced himself. "Hello, Kendo-san. I am Rock Lee, your classmate," He told her with his beaming smile.

Kendo-san smiled back Lee noticed her cheeks were a little pink. How curious. Maybe she was smiling too hard?

"It is nice to meet you, Lee," She greeted back cheerfully. "Since we're gonna be classmates, you can call me Itsuka."

Lee nodded, "Sure, I can do that Itsuka," He corrected himself.

"Yet another is brought into the fold of 1-B! How wonderful!" A voice cut in.

Lee and Itsuka turn to see a tall-ish boy with slick blonde hair and purple eyes looking at the both of them with a small smirk on his face.

The boy tilted his head a little and said, "I am Naito Monoma. Welcome to the class, Lee-san," his eyes swiveled to Itsuka and the smirk on his face seemed to grow. "If Kendo-san would permit it, the rest of the class would absolutely love to meet you," he finished with a peculiar tilt to his tone.

Lee's eyes widened at what he said and he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face. Others were excited to see him? Truly?

"Really? Well, allow me to not disappoint by not greeting them all!" Lee said enthusiastically with a fist pump. He was making friends so fast! He had to keep up the momentum.

His enthusiasm had Itsuka snort and giggle under her breath. It had Monoma to drop his smirk and scrunch up his brows in confusion.

Before Lee could get started with his introductions to the different people who were apparently excited to meet him, he heard the door handle turn. As a collective, the class turned to the opening door to reveal who was coming in.

"I think to save ourselves some time," A deep voice began, "we should kill two birds with one stone and do this out on the practice field, hmm?"

The person entered the room entirely, and everyone craned their necks up to look at him in silent awe.

**Sekijiro Kan, Blood Hero: Vlad King**

**Quirk: Blood Control**

The tall, heavily muscled man looked at them from behind a stony, intimidating scowl. He stood tall, definitely taller than Guy-sensei at least. He was built like a powerlifter with wide shoulders and bulging muscles underneath his red costume. Lee was in awe. It was Vlad King! Right here in front of him!

The class was as quiet as a class that was meeting a Pro-Hero for the first time. The Pro-Hero crossed his large arms across his enormous chest, muscles flexing and stepped into the classroom more and out of the doorway.

"No questions?" His deep voice grumbled out from behind a pair of sharp, protruding canines. "Then, go get changed and meet me at the practice field. Changing rooms are down the hall to your left on either side of the halls. The practice field is outside through the big double doors. You have 10 minutes. " He told them. His tone of voice didn't reveal much, but everyone was perceptive enough to hear the unsaid 'go'.

The class collectively scrambled to their feet and out of the door of their classroom in a hurry. The swifter students leading the way out of the room with the bigger, slower students stumbling behind to catch up to their running classmates. In a few seconds flat, Vlad was standing alone in his classroom. He quirked an eyebrow at their speed. Faster than in previous years. Hopefully, that was a sign of good things to come.

* * *

Lee looked around as he stood with his classmates out on the practice field in their UA provided fitness clothes. It was an extremely large, wide dirt field with painted white lines going around it that helped indicated boundaries. The dirt field was surrounded by short cut grass and a few trees scattered here and there, but Lee was almost taken aback by how large the field was.

"Hey, the stripes spell out U.A. That's pretty neat actually," one of his classmates, one with brown hair and sloped, oval-shaped eyes, said to nobody in particular.

Lee looked down and sure enough, he could make out the U.A. on the front going down the legs. That was pretty neat actually. The all blue and white outfit was pretty comfortable and lose in the right places. He guessed that was why they asked for his fitting size in the application packet. Lee picked at the zipper on the high collar and moved his neck around to try and settle it in a comfortable enough position.

Maybe he should just zip it down a little? It really was not the most comfortable thing in the world, but he needed to make sure he followed the rules here to the letter. He did not need 'not following dress code' to be the reason he gets kicked out. If they were supposed to wear these things, then he would wear them as intended. He petulantly flicked the zipper one more time before sighing in resignation.

He looked around nervously. He was sure he wasn't the only nervous one, he could feel it. In an open yard, everyone was scattered around yet still close enough to be called a single group. Some teetered on their feet, others wrung their hands together over and over again. He caught others looking around just like him too.

Where was their sensei at? Had it even been 10 minutes? What were they doing out here, on the first day, no less? Was this some sort of special U.A. introduction?

Lee grimaced to himself, as he did not know any of the answers to those questions. He was well and truly out of his element being here around so many people with such powerful Quirks. He let his lips turn downward at that thought. Quirks. He knew it was only a matter of time before they knew before they all knew he didn't have a Quirk.

Something in his stomach flipped around like when he ate too much before balance training, and his heartfelt heavy in his chest.

He couldn't lie, though. Guy-sensei had taught him better to lie like that, believed in him not to lie, but the thought appealed to a part of him he wished to ignore. A part persisted with a harrowing sense of strength. It would make things so much..simpler(safer) for him to _lie_. He could pass off the 'Gates' as a Quirk and they would believe him. He could see it now even, see it as clear as day.

Heavy approaching steps broke him from his thoughts, and he looked to find their sensei, Vlad King, walking towards the group. Lee stopped looking around and focused on the muscle-bound Pro-Hero.

Vlad walked their way, back straight and shoulders squared and gripped in one of his large hands was an orange bucket filled with what looked like baseballs. With his long legs, it took him a few steps to take his place in front of the assembled students. As he arrived in front of the assembled group of students, he wasted no time getting things started.

"Today, we will be conducting a series of Quirk Comprehension Tests for a better understanding of what you all can do," his rumbling voice began. "These tests are like the ones you took in middle school, but here you can use your Quirks. Everyone will participate in a series of tests scored on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest you can score and 5 being the highest," he explained to them.

For a few long moments, he didn't say anything and what he said settled with Lee and the class. Lee felt it was simple enough, but he couldn't help feeling a little confused. Wasn't seeing what they could do the whole point of the Entrance Exam?

"This will be furthering our and your understanding of your Quirks," Vlad continued. "The Entrance Exam gave us an initial look into your potential, but these tests will be us gauging your physical limits," he told them seriously. "Let us get started."

He dropped the bucket, letting it crack against the ground loud enough to make a few people flinch. Vlad reached down and picked up a baseball, which looked more like a golf ball in his giant hand and tossed it up and down a few times.

"Any volunteers?"

Quickly, a hand went up in response.

"Oi!" A rough voice spoke up from the crowd of students. From the group, the boy Lee saw with silver hair step forward to accept Vlad's invitation. "I'll go first and set the bar for everyone to reach!" He proclaimed confidently.

Vlad nodded his head as if agreeing with the loud teen, before tossing the baseball to him. "Then set the bar, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu of Class 1-B. Throw the ball as far as you can and do not hold back," he told him sternly.

The teen, Tetsutetsu, nodded determinedly and prepared to throw the ball as Vlad-sensei stepped away to give him space. A silence settled over the group as Tetsutetsu got ready to throw.

Lee leaned forward in anticipation. Tetsutetsu's arms seemed to start to glint under the sun-wait what was happening? Lee squinted a little and almost gasped. There seemed to be something growing along his arm? The whatever-it-was grew quickly along his exposed skin until Tetsutetsu's whole body was covered in it and he shined under the sun. Lee gasped silently to himself in wonder.

Tetsutetsu cranked his arm back and grit his teeth. He planted his foot and launched the ball from his hand.

"**ORA!" **Tetsutetsu screamed. The ball was catapulted from his hand into the air like it was shot from a cannon. It blitzed through the air until it was only a dot in the sky that Lee could barely see.

Wow, a stupefied Lee thought to himself, what strength!

Tetsutetsu relaxed and rotated his shoulder around a few times before settling down with a wide, sharp grin on his face. The glint he gained had gone, and his regular pale skin tone had returned.

Tetsutetsu turned to their sensei, who had a weird device pointed in the direction Tetsutetsu threw the ball. The device beeped a few times and large red numbers blinked on the screen.

Vlad flipped the device around to show Tetsutetsu and the class his score.

310.58 meters shone on the device in blocky red numbers.

"Hell yeah!" Tetsutetsu howled into the sky and threw his arms up in exuberance.

Vlad-sensei flipped the device back around and clicked a button on it to make the red numbers disappear. He turned to the class and gave Tetsutetsu a look that made him quickly tuck his arms back down. It did little to wipe off his satisfied smirk, though.

"With Tetsutetsu's display, the bar has been set, and, after that display, I am sure that was his absolute best. No matter the score, that is the expectation that has been set for you all. To do your absolute best," he lowered the device and something in his stance shifted as well as his tone. Lee couldn't help but be captivated by their sensei for a moment.

"We here at U.A. take nothing but the best. We accept those that prove to us that they have the highest potential, the highest will, to become the heroes of tomorrow, and you all are some of the few that have proven it. You earned your spot here, but now it is up to you to make sure you keep it," Vlad-sensei began intensely. His sharp eyes roamed across the class, looking at each student intently-pressing down upon them the real purpose of these tests. "During these tests, I want you to challenge yourself to do more than your absolute best, give more than 100%. I want you to go further beyond, go Plus Ultra," he finished resolutely.

Lee felt his heartbeat loudly in his chest and clenched his fists determinately. Vlad-sensei was right. He had earned his spot here just like everyone who did have a Quirk, and he was intent on keeping it. He was going to become a wonderful hero without a Quirk, and show the world just what hard work can do!

Lee took a deep breath and stood a little straighter. He squared his shoulders and his resolve within himself grew. He could do this!

Around him, he could see and hear some of his classmates stand a little more confident. Lee couldn't keep the grin from worming its way across his face. Time to start becoming the heroes of tomorrow.

After, Tetsutetsu's incredible display of strength, Vlad-sensei moved them to a different area for testing. This time they were at what looked like a butchered track. It was only the straightaway part of the track with the different lanes bordered by the same white paint from before.

Vlad-sensei gestured to the track, "Here, you will be running in a 50-meter dash. You will be running in groups of 5 with each person having their own lane to run in," he explained. "Find a lane and line up. Should be four to each lane," He explained to them in his rumbly voice.

Quickly, everyone found a spot. Lee found himself behind second behind a particularly hairy teen with glasses.

Vlad-sense stood on the right of the lanes, record-keeping device firmly in hand and made a move back motion with his hand.

"Give the person in front of you a lot of space. Those in front go on my signal, so stretch if you have not started already. After you finish, come to me, and I shall give you your time," he explained to them.

With no more prompting, things got started. Lee wouldn't use the Gates here. He couldn't really. Guy-sensei had also given him strict rules he needed to follow if he was to learn the Eight Gates of Chakra. His body couldn't handle the strain of more than one usage a day and only for a few moments. During the entrance exam was a dangerous move, he was lucky he got out without tearing anything seriously, but there was possibly a life at risk and that trumped everything. Screw the rules.

Regardless, as Lee began his stretching routine with toe touches(with Guy-sensei's voice echoed in his head about making sure not to bend his knees as he did it), he needed to lock-in. He knows he could perform at a higher level physically without a Quirk or the Gates. Guy-sensei saw to that thoroughly. His physical performance only supplemented the Gates, as Guy-sensei explained to him. So, these tests would help show him what he needed to focus on in order to become an even greater hero.

Lee straightened up from his toe touches, spread his legs and leaned to one side to stretch out the inner thigh and groin area. He made sure to take deep breaths as he counted to 15 silently. Then, he switched to the other side.

Just as he finished his other side, he felt a light tap on his shoulder that had him turning around. Lee turned to face a girl with horns and wide, green eyes with an even wider smile.

"May I join you in stretches?" She asked with an accent that Lee couldn't place. Her Japanese wasn't fluent, obviously from the missed pronoun, so that placed her out of the country. A foreigner maybe? Nevertheless, Lee wasn't going to turn her down if she wished to join him.

"Sure," he nodded, happy to have the company.

The girl with the horns smiled wide, showing off pearly white teeth, and joined him in the stretch.

"My name is Pony Tsunotori. I am from the America," She said in accented Japanese.

Ah, that made sense. Lee nodded to that with wonder. "I'm Rock Lee. You're from America? What brings you all the way over here to Japan?" He asked with unchecked curiosity.

Pony nodded, as if she had gotten the question before, and answered, "Family moved here uhm soon?" she asked with a shyly raised eyebrow.

Lee grabbed his foot in a stretch, "Recently," he corrected.

"Recently," Pony repeated. She muttered it to herself a few times before continuing her explanation. "Family moved here recently, and I've always wanted to become a hero. U.A. is top school, and parents always said to uhm aim above?" She finished unsurely as she straightened up from her own stretch.

Lee idly noted how flexible she was as she easily touched her toes with no sign of strain. "I think you mean to aim high," He said.

Pony nodded happily and her shoulders sagged with relief. "Yes, that is it. Aim high. They said to aim high, so I am here," she finished confidently with an assured nod as if judging her Japanese to be sufficient.

Lee smiled at her, it was easy to smile at her he found and finished up his stretches.

Before Lee could continue his conversation with Pony, Vlad-sensei's booming voice stopped him short. "Let's get started. Those in the front line up. You go on my signal!" He barked.

From there, Lee smiled one more time at Pony.

"After this, we should talk more," He told her.

Pony moved a few steps away from him and smiled right back.

"I would like that," She beamed.

From there, Lee turned around and focused on the tests. On Vlad-sensei's signal, things started.

Over the course of the tests, Lee found himself both proud and disheartened. He was doing good. Always the middle of the pack due to all the physical conditioning Guy-sensei had him do. He never came in last, which was great, but the gaps between him and those that came in above him were...vast.

His 50-yard dash time was great, a 5.30 He was just behind two students, one of them being Pony. Grip strength, he didn't do as well as those with strength enhancing Quirks, like Tetsutetsu's, which covered him in steel. He was all too happy to explain that after someone asked him. Also, Itsuka whose Quirk enlarged her hands. That one was a shocker!

In the long jump, he was so close to clearing the sandbox but missed by a few inches. He'd work on his leg strength after that realization. With the repeating side jumps, he went as fast as possible and landed with the same people as he did for the 50-yard dash. Speed was his forte and he took personal pride in being as fast as he was. Guy-sensei even said he might eclipse him in speed one day.

Now, that would be something.

Finally, they circled back to the softball throw where the displays were all over the place. Using your Quirk to supplement something like throwing a ball was simple enough. A girl used her vine-like hair, he wasn't sure if they really were vines or just long, green strands of hair, to throw the ball, another boy used his breath to propel the ball far into the air, and one other boy rotated his hands like drills and shot the ball as far as he could. Lee threw the ball as far as he possibly could and only got 130.5 meters.

Lee couldn't help but be impressed and excited. The tests showed him that things weren't impossible. They showed him that those heights were reachable and, better yet, surpassable.

Vlad-sensei rounded them up together at the end of it all to speak to them.

"You all did well today. You did your best and that is all anyone can ask of you. I asked you to go Plus Ultra, and that is what you did. Keep your scores in the back of your mind from this day forward because the only way from here is up as you get better and better and become the heroes you're meant to be," He said, a glint of something in his eyes. He looked at them and nodded his head, as if impressed by what he saw and said, "Get changed and head home. We're done for the day. Nice job, 1-B."

With that, Vlad-sensei led them back inside to get changed. After getting changed, they grabbed their things from the classroom, some people mingling with each other as they walked out. Lee was one of the last out of the classroom until he heard his name called by Vlad-sensei.

He turned to see his sensei standing in front of the classroom, arms crossed across his broad chest, and Lee couldn't help the slight apprehension that flowed through him.

He stepped forward to greet his sensei, "Uh, what did you want to talk about Vlad-sensei?"

Vlad-sensei waited till they were alone to speak, and a part of Lee was sure it was intentional.

"Walk with me, Lee. We don't want to take up much of your time," Vlad-sensei began as the duo moved out of the classroom in the opposite way everyone else left in.

Vlad continued to speak as they walked to wherever they were going. "As you and I know, your situation is a delicate one. It is a first in the history of this institution and the world. You will be under a lot of scrutiny from both inside and outside of these walls. If you ever find yourself being overwhelmed, let me know and we can work something out," he said in what was meant to be a gentle tone.

To Lee, it was patronizing. Oh, this is what this is about. Lee swallowed the anger he was feeling and replied, "I appreciate the thought, sensei, but I am done being treated differently because of my 'status'," He replied tartly.

Lee stared hard at his sensei. "I may not have what they have, but I won't fall behind nor hold anyone back. I am here for the same reasons they are, to become a hero," something ignited in his chest that fueled his next words. "I won't hide who I am. My sensei taught me better than that. He also taught me that hard work speaks for itself, so I have nothing to say to anybody that doesn't believe I belong here. If-if my classmates have an issue then that is their problem, not mine. I am here to become a hero and there is nothing anyone can say or do to stop me," he finished passionately.

Lee clenched his fist and teeth and tried to calm down. He looked away from his sensei and wiped at his eyes. Stupid tears.

"I apologize, Lee," Vlad-sensei began to Lee's surprise. Lee gazed at his sensei with a wary look.

"It was not my intention to offend you," the Pro-Hero spoke softly in his grumbly voice. "I assumed wrong with you. Your performance today should have been enough to reassure me, but I had to make sure. Things will not be easy for you, Lee. The school can only protect you so much, but I am sure you know first hand how cruel people can be when encountered with something or someone different or strange," He spoke with something deeper in his tone that Lee couldn't discern.

Lee couldn't do anything but nod at that.

"There is one other thing I wished to discuss with you. This one concerns your performance during the Entrance Exam," his sensei began. "In the end, you displayed enhanced strength and speed that you previously did not. As you may guess, that left us with more questions than answers. So, an explanation from you seemed most prudent in getting things cleared up for us and your records," the Pro-Hero explained.

Before he could answer the question, they stopped at a door that looked to lead into a bigger office. Lee looked at the window where the words 'Administration Office' was stuck to the glass. Oh, so that's where they were.

Lee followed his sensei in dutifully, the door clicking shut behind him. The office was well lit, white lights shined bright onto the deep blue carpet and white desks. They were really going all-in with the white and blue it looked like. The duo walked past a couple offices, empty from the looks of it until they made it to the one at the end of the hall, the words 'Principal Nezu' carved onto a plaque stuck to the door.

Lee felt that familiar sense of apprehension fills him slowly. It must have been noticeable because Vlad-sensei spoke up right then.

"Do not worry, Lee. The principal is just curious as am I. We need to understand the full scope of your abilities so that we can better help you reach your goals," Vlad explained in his gruff voice. Oddly enough, his words helped put Lee a little more at ease.

Only a little, as he tried his best not to gulp as the bulky Pro-Hero opened the door and walked in. Lee had no choice but to follow the man in.

The office was spacious but comfy if Lee had to describe it. Warm browns and deep blues filled the office, cushy blue chairs to the deep brown desk the filled up the majority of the space. Pictures and certificates hung on the walls and little paperweights were arranged on the desk around a computer set up.

Sitting behind the desk in a big, brown leather chair was Principal Nezu.

"Welcome, Rock Lee, to my office," the man, mouse? greeted cheerfully.

**Nezu**

**Quirk: High Spec**

The principal was exactly like the pictures of him Lee observed. Short, furred, and with the deep, vicious-looking scar carving its way down his right eye. How he even still had the eye, let alone was able to see out of it, was nothing short of a miracle in Lee's opinion.

Lee bowed respectfully. "It is nice to meet you, principal Nezu. Vlad-sensei has filled me in some, and I assume that I am here to explain what it was at the end of the Entrance Exam?" He asked. Lee hoped being direct would make things go a little faster. The principal was busy and busy people didn't like wasting time, right?

The principal clasped his hands, paws? together in front of him on his desk and smiled. "Ah, straight to the point. I appreciate that. You are correct in your assumption. U.A. prides itself on many things, information on their students' being one of them. Your display towards the end of the exam was unexpected due to the Quirk like abilities you displayed despite your status being the opposite. So," here the principal indicated towards Lee with his hand," we felt it best to hear you explain things instead of us working off of baseless assumptions."

Lee nodded his head in understanding. That made sense, he thought to himself. He was prepared and began trying to explain it as clearly as possible.

"It is not a Quirk nor the result of any sort of drug, mutation, or external factor, principal Nezu. It is all a result of my hard work and dedication to the Strong Fist Style martial arts and the tutelage of my sensei, Might Guy," Lee explained forthcomingly. He had no reason to hide this after all.

"So it is a secret technique?" Nezu questioned, writing down something on a piece of paper that Lee hadn't noticed was there before.

Lee shook his head negative. "No, sir. It isn't a secret. It just is not well-known nor practiced by many due to what it takes to perform, and the effects it can have upon the body of the user. It has been dubbed the Eight Gates."

"Eight Gates," Nezu repeated to himself under his breath as he scratched something down on the paper. "Can you explain that further?"

Lee nodded. "I can. So, as my sensei explained it to me, there are eight meta-physical 'gates' inside of the human body that helps circulate chakra throughout our system. Chakra is the combination of a person's physical energy and spiritual energy. From my understanding, every living thing has chakra from me to a potted plant. Despite this, chakra has no real effects unless that person was to use the Eight Gates technique," Lee explained to them.

Nezu hmmd in thought. "So, everyone has chakra, a combination of our physical energies and spiritual energies, but without the Eight Gates, we cannot use it. What are the names of the gates, if the gates are named that is, and what do they do?" Nezu asked him.

Lee scratched his head and formulated his answer. "Uhm, okay great question," Lee's eyes turned serious as he continued to explain. "We have the first gate, the Gate of Opening," Lee points to his head, "which is located in the brain and unlocks mental inhibitors. Next is the Gate of Healing, in the brain too, which increases the user's physical strength, speed, and allows them to rapidly recover and become re-energized. The Gate of Life," Lee rubs his back, "located on the spinal cord further increases blood flow in the body. The Gate of Pain further increases the user's speed and power. The Gate of View builds upon what the previous gate did and the Gate of Wonder opens up the pores of the skin in order to further expel the chakra. Finally, there is the final gate. I don't know the name of it at the time, as my sensei has not taught explained it to me."

Nezu was silent as he wrote down several things on a piece of paper. Lee took this moment to catch his breath after the lengthy explanation. He had explained it to the best of his ability. He was sure of it

Nezu set the pen he was writing with down and looked up to Lee. "Thank you very much for your explanation, Lee. This has cleared up a lot, but one more thing. What are the drawbacks? You said earlier that it was a dangerous technique, but what makes it so dangerous?"

Lee grimaced. "It is dangerous because of the effects they have on the body, specifically the muscles and tendons. The human body is not made to withstand that much chakra, so muscles and tendons tear while exhausting the person using them. Training curtails some of the effects, but opening up the gates has the potential to leave the user practically crippled," he finished solemnly.

Lee sighed internally. It sounded crazy for anyone to use when he said it out loud, but that was the sacrificial nature of the technique. It was the literal embodiment of no pain, no gain.

"Hmm, that is indeed a dangerous setback," Nezu agreed. He smirked slightly and cocked his head. "Good thing that we at U.A. are prepared for such a thing. We have had our fair share of dangerous Quirks, and, while your abilities aren't genetic, it is still our job to help you become the best hero you can be," the principal said matter-of-factly.

Lee's eyes widened uncontrollably at the principal's candidness. No one beyond Guy-sensei had talked about his goal as nothing more than a fool's endeavor or child's fanciful dream. The principal stated it like him becoming a hero was real, like it was tangible.

Like it was a fact.

Lee had to be sure he wasn't putting something that wasn't there.

"You believe that I can be a hero?" Lee asked with a hopeful sort of disbelief.

If Nezu picked up on his hopeful tone, he didn't show. His smile was unchanged as he answered.

"You wouldn't be here if I didn't believe in you," Nezu responded with an easy smile on his face.

* * *

A/N:

Welcome back. This chapter was mostly dialogue and setting up Lee's mindset for the coming year. I debated on him keeping his status hidden but decided that it wouldn't be true to his character to have him lie to people. In the anime, he made sure people knew and that he would succeed in spite of him not being able to use chakra. The case is the same here. Quirk apprehension tests are over and his scores are good. Lee, though, has been training most of his life, so he is in better shape than a lot of his classmates, and his scores reflected that, Quirk or no Quirk. I hope I did a good job of explaining why he didn't use the Gates for this test either.

Also, I know what the actual scores were in the anime. This isn't the anime, and I felt that since UA was as prestigious as it is I made the scores the way they were. Either way, their scores, no matter how high or low, had zero effect beyond if they got in or not. So, it doesn't really matter. Another thing, the Eight Gates are not a Quirk. He wasn't born with it, he didn't take it from someone, he didn't create it. It is a tool that he can use. A very dangerous tool that has very dangerous consequences. Would you rather want Lee without one of his staples? It doesn't make him any less vulnerable, but it does give him something more in his metaphorical utility belt beyond his fists. It would literally be impossible otherwise for him to become a hero. Regular people just couldn't do it. Good thing about the Eight Gates, though, is that anyone dedicated enough, and crazy enough, could learn it. What kind of implications will that have on the wider world once that is found out? Who knows? Hope you enjoy the chapter and hope your holidays were pleasant. Au revoir!


	6. Chapter 6: The Battle Trial

Chapter 6: The Battle Trial!

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

\- Mike Tyson

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Lee plopped down into the seat next to Pony with a smile on his face. She gave him a wave and a bright smile in return as the class began to be filled with the idle chatter of excited and curious teenagers. Lee could relate to the palpable excitement he felt filling the room. Yesterday had left a strong impression on him, and he couldn't wait for what was in store for class today.

He couldn't contain his excitement, and he turned to Pony and asked, "So, what do you think we're going to do today?"

Pony hummed in thought and squinted in a look of concentration. After a few moments, she answered.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Some physical activity maybe?" She guessed with a slight shrug of her shoulders and an apologetic look on her face. "I am not best at uhm," she trailed off and furrowed her brow in thought.

Lee guessed she was looking for the word, and he felt he knew what she meant. "Guessing. Is that what you were trying to say, Pony?" He asked with a smile.

Pony nodded, brow easing in relief, and answered back, "Yes, I am not the best guess," She finished confidently with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.

That wasn't exactly right, but it was still progress and any sort of progress was great. So, Lee just smiled back and waved off her apology. "It's no issue, Pony. I'm just excited about what we might end up doing," Lee's expression brightened as an idea hit him. "Maybe it's some sort of training like I do with Guy-sensei! Yosh!" He exclaimed passionately. "If it is training, I cannot wait for it!"

"What kind of training do you think they'd have us do, Lee?" Itsuka asked from in front of him. Itsuka looked into space as she thought. "I'm thinking it might be some sort of scenario training. Y'know, like put us into a situation that we might encounter as heroes," she explained.

Lee hummed in thought and saw the sense in what she said. "That is a sound guess, Itsuka. That would be very exciting!"

Pony nodded in agreement. "Like a rescue," she added.

"What if we did some sparring, eh? That would be exciting!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed from a few rows across from Lee.

The teen with dark, shaggy hair, Sen Kaibara, Lee recalled, sitting next to Tetsutetsu turned his head to regard the fiery, silver-haired teen with a raised eyebrow. "I think sparring would be possible," he agreed with a slight nod of his head. "It would help Vlad-sensei get a better idea of what we can do with our Quirks too."

"Glad you agree with me, Kaibara!" Tetsutetsu cheered. Tetsutetsu crossed his arms across his chest. "So, it is agreed then that it's going to be sparring like I said it was."

Itsuka shook her head and gave the duo a look of disbelief. "I'm not sure that's how this works, Tetsutetsu," she doubted.

Tetsutetsu grew a tic mark on his head and growled. "What are you tryna say, huh?"

"I believe," a soft, feminine voice interjected from the front of the class. "That we will do whatever The Lord has predetermined for us to do today," the girl smiled serenely and clasped her hands together. "One must trust and believe in The Lord for we dare not question His plans for us."

The group looked towards the girl with long green hair. Lee remembered noticing her the first day, the green hair was eye-catching, and how during the tests she used her hair to throw the baseball. Her name was Ibara Shiozaki if he was remembering correctly.

Tetsutetsu scratched his head and squinted in confusion at the serenely smiling girl. "What?"

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but another voice cut her off before any words came out.

"I think Itsuka has the right of it," the voice said.

Lee turned, again, to see a girl with murky green hair, wide eyes, and a smirk on her face leaning forward in her seat. Something Tokage. Lee was blanking on her first name.

"Thank you, Setsuna," Itsuka said. Ah, so it was Setsuna Tokage. "I'm glad to have some support here," she joked.

"Of course! I got your back, Itsuka!" the spunky teen said.

Quickly, the entire classroom was filled with chatter about possible ideas they might be doing today.

To his left across the walkway, Lee heard a light scoff and he, Itsuka and Pony turned to a Monomo who was staring up at the ceiling with that same smirk Lee first noticed on his face.

Itsuka scowled lightly at the seemingly dismissive scoff. "Oh, you got a better idea, Monoma?"

Neito's gaze dropped to them all and he answered. "_I _think that we're going to do some Quirk training. After the testing we did yesterday, that is the thing that makes the most sense of course," Neito reasoned confidently.

Itsuka rolled her eyes at him. "Your idea does make _some _sense, I guess, Monoma," she admitted grudgingly and Lee nodded along with it. It did make some sense.

Itsuka crossed her arms and harrumphed, "Regardless, we will have to wait until Vlad-sensei gets here to figure out what we're actually going to do."

Almost as if called by command, the imposing figure of Pro Hero Vlad King strode into the classroom. Quickly, all chatter stopped as he made his way to the front of the classroom.

Vlad stood at the front of the class, clipboard with papers in his hands, and regarded them with an intrigued look. Quiet before he even had to open his mouth? "Hmm, let me take attendance first, and then we can proceed with the agenda for today

Attendance was over quickly, everyone was here because nobody wanted to miss a single day.

Glad set the clipboard down and opened his mouth to speak, the students on the edge of their seats in anticipation for what he had to say.

"I am walking through the door like a normal person!"

Wait, that definitely didn't come from Vlad-sensei.

The doors of their classroom swung open to reveal the hero other heroes aspired to be, the hero that stood at the peak of the mountain top, the one everyone looked up to

"All Might!" The class excitedly screamed in unison.

The mighty, ever-smiling hero stood at the front of their class, red costume donned with his cape billowing majestically in the wind.

"It is I, All Might! How are we doing class 1-B?!" He asked in his loud, booming voice. He smiled and his teeth glinted under the classroom lights.

Lee was pretty sure he was in a dream. He actually didn't wake up today and instead dreamed this all up.

"Pinch me, I must be dreaming," Setsuna muttered under her breath as she gazed wide-eyed at the legendary hero.

"No way, man," Tetsutetsu breathed in disbelief. His hero, his idol, was right there! Like, right there!

"Holy shit," Yosetsu muttered in the same tone. This was unreal.

Across the entire classroom, students were various levels of disbelief and surprise as All Might, the number one hero in all of Japan, was standing right in front of them. Talking to them!

"I think you broke my class, All Might," Vlad noted with a straight face.

All Might threw his head back in laughter. "Haha! So it would seem I have! Since I have your attention," he spoke to the class and everyone seemed to pay even more attention, "I am here to help with today's lesson! But first," from somewhere he whipped out a remote and clicked it.

Sounds of mechanical parts moving rang out from the back of the classroom and everyone turned to see the wall peeling back to reveal numerous slots with openings on the floor. From the floor rose containers that revealed…

"Your costumes!" All Might cheered in his larger-than-life voice.

As if the day couldn't get any better, it did.

"So that's what they did with our designs," Itsuka realized aloud.

Setsuna nodded, a wide smile on her face. "Yeah, but I didn't think we'd get them this early!"

"Ahaha! You are correct, Miss Kendo. This is the Hero Course and an essential part of any hero is their costume!" All Might told the class.

Itsuka was starstruck that the number one hero knew her name. She shook off the excitement and managed a nod.

"Beyond that," Vlad picked up, "a hero's costume is to help them as much as it is to help others. It protects you, your identity and it is how civilians, heroes, and villains recognize you. Your costume is your brand, your symbol, and it is important it reflects who you are as a hero," he finished seriously.

He looked over his class seeing them digest his words and take them to heart. Good, they knew how to listen even in face of all these distractions. Well, most of them at least. Vlad knew he'd be expecting too much in the face of new costumes and All Might. He'd cut them some slack here this one time.

"Go," Vlad said, "change into your costumes and meet us in Battle Arena 4."

That was all the permission they needed. In a whirlwind of movement, some flips were definitely involved and swinging from the roof, the kids had grabbed their costumes and went to go change. In total, the class was cleared in about 30 seconds.

Vlad let a little smile grow on his face. What an energetic bunch.

"You seem to have a good group this year, Vlad. This much energy solely for changing into costumes? Sign of good things I'd say," All Might noted pleasantly.

Vlad allowed his friend a small nod and nothing more.

All Might, used to the usually stoic mannerisms of his fellow hero, laughed heartily. The laugh died and All Might became serious.

"That was him?" All Might asked in a low, serious tone.

"Mhmm," Vlad confirmed. He knew who the number one was referring to. The boy who had done the impossible. Vlad had yet to hear the thoughts of his colleague on him, but obviously, he was briefed on Lee's unique status amongst his peers.

For a long moment, the two heroes stood in an empty, silent classroom. Vlad gazed at All Might from the corner of his eyes. The number one seemed lost in thought watching something only he could see. Vlad didn't know what it was, but it must've been a powerful enough memory to leave the always-smiling-hero bereft his smile. Vlad allowed him this moment of private remembrance. It was the least he could do.

Quickly though, as expected of a Pro, All Might returned to reality and that smile of his bloomed wide and bright once again.

"Aha! I look forward to what he brings to the table!" All Might declared. He didn't mention his trip down memory lane, so neither would Vlad. Call it a courtesy born from understanding that even the greatest among them require their own moments.

"Let us go, Vlad!" All Might turned and with a flourish of his (gaudy) cape, the hero was on his way out of the classroom and moving towards where they were supposed to meet the class. "It is time to see how the heroes of tomorrow deal with what we have in store for them today!"

Vlad grunted in agreement and followed All Might out of the classroom. He'd never tell a soul, but something in him was slightly excited at seeing what his class could do in the scenario, a few in particular.

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Lee stood before one of the several body length mirrors they had in the locker room. He had just finished putting on his costume and wanted to see what it looked like on him. Half-sketches really didn't do it justice.

He stuck with green with a splash of orange around his legs. It was a figure-hugging bodysuit that he made sure had protection in the between layers of it. With how tight it still was, he wasn't sure how they did it but they did! He knocked against the dense, bullet-resistant padding around his abdomen. It kind of fit like a vest, which he wanted. Wow, they really got that from his drawings? He was impressed.

From there he had incorporated a pair of shin guards that were made from the new material they had hitting the heroes market. Going to UA gave them access to the cutting edge support gear Pro-heroes do because UA produced a lot of high profile heroes. One of the perks, he guessed, which is why he made sure to specifically request it. He needed them so he could put his weights and leg warmers over them and not have his weights look out of place. Gai-Sensei told him to have good judgment about them and he believed if it wasn't critical, he wouldn't get rid of them.

Plus, they packed his kicks with an extra 'oomph'.

He teetered back and forth on his toes to become more comfortable with the custom martial arts shoes he had on his feet. Custom because they had all the comfort and maneuverability of martial arts shoes but were durable enough for everyday use.

He tapped at his knees and elbows. He was kind of cool with the fact he didn't pick any elbow or knee guards because he needed his knees and elbows free. They were dangerous enough without anything, so he had chosen speed and freedom over a restricting accessory. But the thing he was immensely happy about was the last-minute addition to his costume.

The green bodysuit was plain green that ended around his neck, but the really cool thing was the stripe of red going around his waist. In the middle where he would normally have a buckle, he had the symbol of Gai-sensei's dojo. There, engraved on a steel gleaming plate, was the leaf-like symbol that indicated his dojo, his home.

It filled Lee with a warm sensation that seemed to wrap around his shoulders and made his skin tingle nicely. He took pride in where he came from, and this was a reminder to stay true to everything he learned there. Everything Gai-sensei had taught him sat around his waist to complete his hero costume and he couldn't be happier with how it came out.

He flexed his fingers to make his hand wraps were on and secured. He wasn't trying to break the skin of his knuckles again. He reached down and picked up the last piece of his costume, a regular domino mask.

He stared at the domino mask in his hands and fiddled a little with it. He'd never really tried one of these on before and only added it cause, y'know, secret identity. His hero identity. When he put on this mask he wouldn't be regular Rock Lee anymore. He'd be a Hero. He'd be something he only dreamed of being; something people swore he could never be. All of the memories he would rather not be remembering right now began to bubble to the surface of his mind.

A loud, rough yell that was packed full of frustration snapped Lee out of his thoughts. What was going on? He turned around, quickly putting the mask on as he did.

"Ora, ora, this isn't what I specified with my costume!"

By his locker surrounded by other costumed classmates was an irate and silver Tetsutetsu pulling at the collar of his costume as several other students tried to calm him down.

"Tetsutetsu, you have it on inside out,"

"Yeah man, you put it on wrong,"

"I did what!?"

Lee couldn't help but smile at the antics. Hmm, Tetsutetsu was so ready he put his costume on he put it on inside out. Or he was a clutz.

Lee was gonna go with the former.

That thought ignited his inner fire! He could do this! He trained for this! He lightly placed his hands on the band around his waist and felt himself become more centered, more focused.

He was ready for whatever they'd throw at him. Believe it.

Huh, that didn't feel right. He'd need to come up with something else that didn't make him feel like some weird anime protagonist.

Scenario training. Hmm, so it seemed like Itsuka was right. Good thing he didn't bet on it.

The way Vlad and All Might - Lee was still blown away by the fact the Symbol of Peace was right there! - had explained, they'd be broken off into pairs of heroes and villains and set off to secure or defend the 'bomb' respectively. The heroes had to either defeat both villains or touch the bomb before the timer ran out while the villains had to defeat both heroes or keep the heroes away from the bomb until the time ran out. There were cameras all within the decent-sized building that would be the testing grounds so the teachers could accurately grade them and intervene should an accident occur.

It was a simple enough exercise that Lee figured started them on the basics of teamwork and combat strategy.

Vlad-sensei had predetermined the pairs already, so Lee didn't have to deal with the pressure of choosing a partner. He just had to work with his partner well enough to succeed. He was _not_ trying to fail at his first real hero exercise.

"If you could focus on the screen for a moment, class. We're about to get started," Vlad told them all with a hand indicating towards the large screen on the upper wall.

Lee focused on it and felt his stomach churn nervously. He didn't know if he wanted to go first or later; he wasn't sure if he wanted to be heroes or villains.

The slots for the names would show spun rapidly like some sort of twisted roulette. Although he knew the pairs were already chosen, the display still made his heart quicken anxiously. The slots slowed down until they revealed the names of who would be the ones to set the bar in their first Battle Trial of the year.

His eyes widened in shock and the world seemed to freeze for a moment as he took in the names on the screen.

Heroes: Rock Lee and Shihai Kuroiro

Villains: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Juzo Honenuki

What? He was going first? That was-well it was…

Lee really couldn't determine if it was a good or bad thing going first. Okay, he couldn't start getting all iffy about it. Gai-sensei said that indecision leads to poor performance, so he had to shake off any contradictory thoughts he had.

He was going first, so that means he got to set the bar. All the eyes would be on him and his partner to see what they could do. To see if they had what it took to make it as heroes.

No pressure. Nope. He was going to give it his all no matter what! His inner Flames of Youth world demand no less!

"Ah, sweet! We get to fight each other with our Quirks. How awesome is that?" Tetsutetsu exclaimed excitedly.

There was a murmur of agreement from everyone else. Smiles slowly blossomed and postures grew more confident.

"Ah, that's the kind of energy I like to see!" All Might cheered with a wide, beaming smile on his chiseled face. "Remember, though, this exercise isn't just to see how well you can throw a punch or kick. It's about how well you and your partner can work together to complete your objective," All Might's tone shifted into a more stern and serious one here but the smile remained. "Not a lot of heroes work alone; solo is a privilege granted only to those that have earned it Teamwork is an essential part of hero work, and during this trial, your teamwork will be put to the test."

Vlad nodded with the summation All Might just gave to the class. A bit long-winded, but it got the job done. It was time to get this show on the road, though.

"Villains to your positions. Heroes to yours as well," Vlad instructed. "You both have 5 minutes to devise a plan of attack and defense. Once you hear the horn, the Battle Trial will begin," Vlad nodded to his four students. "Good luck."

All Might's cape swirled around him as he threw out a thumbs up and patented smile.

"And remember to do your best and go Plus Ultra!" He exclaimed, using his patented phrase and smiling with his wide, twinkling grin.

The words that usually inspire helped little to settle his nerves. Doing his best was never the issue. The issue was that he was currently having to contend with the fact that his entire class was probably going to find out he was Quirkless.

Joy.

It wasn't long before Lee found himself right outside the building he and his fellow hero for the trial, Shihai Kuroiro, devising a sort of plan. Introductions to each other went smoothly. Kuroiro, as he insisted he be called, wore a rather plain black jumpsuit that matched the dark tone of his skin almost perfectly that didn't coincide with the fluffy white hair on his head. The only real indication Lee knew the guy wasn't running around nude was the slight flutter of the collar in the wind. In the light, he was very noticeable, but Lee could only imagine how difficult it must be to see him in a darkened area.

With only five minutes to devise some semblance of a plan, they needed to think and they needed to think fast. Lee would freely admit that he was not much for pre-planning; he was more of an in the moment thinker, but he would be remiss to squander these five minutes of planning.

Luckily for him, Kuroiro picked up his slack and took the lead when it came to scraping together a strategy.

"My Quirk allows for me anything that is pitch in color. If you couldn't tell, I am more oriented towards more stealth and ambush-style than face to face combat, Lee," Kuroiro began in a low, neutral voice. "You are more fit for that, I hope? Your colorful costume does not allow you to duck within the shadows like an otherworldly specter of justice and camouflage your spirit from the enemy until it is too late for them to escape," he noted - rather dramatically - with a flat look on his face.

Well, that was definitely not what Lee expected to come out of his mouth. Kuroiro's expression had not changed once the whole time he spoke, and Lee was a little thrown off by it. That and the way he spoke. Lee wasn't sure if he was doing it for secrecy's sake or if his normal voice volume was this low. All of that aside, he wasn't wrong in his observation.

"Ah, you are correct, Kuroiro. I am the most proficient in close quarters combat," Lee explained quickly. They were on a time limit after all. "I do not believe I am capable of being a 'specter of justice'. My Youthful fire cannot be suppressed," he claimed passionately, his youthful flames burning bright inside of him just like Gai-sensei's.

Expression unchanged, Kuroiro nodded and spoke once more.

"Good. Then we shall join forces on the eve of battle today as I traverse into the shadows to secure the villainous weapon while the enemy combats your raging fires of Youth. You will be the fire that burns bright enough to blind our enemies, while I am the shadow that will drag them into the dark abyss," Kuroiro cracked a devious smile, and his voice gained a smooth, sly rumble. "Do you agree with my plan?"

Lee took a moment to go over it. Kuroiro would stick to the shadows while Lee drew all the attention to himself to secure the 'bomb'. Hmm, he would have to really draw their attention, though. Also, fight two of his classmates when he only knew one of their Quirks. He didn't know if he was comfortable with doing all of the fighting, but he reasoned Kuroiro's Quirk was better used stealthily than in Youthful combat. Like Gai-sensei said, one must always play to their strengths. Yes, this was as good a plan as any.

Lee nodded his head affirmatively at the boy and grew a wide smile as the boy's devious grin grew wider. It was just in time too, as the horn that signaled for them to begin sounded off.

The Battle Trial had begun.

Lee turned, ready to make his way into the building with his partner when he disappeared from his field of view. Lee was confused as to where Kuroiro went until he felt something tapping his shoe. Lee looked down and saw Kuroiro's face smirking back at him from within Lee's own shadow.

Well, that was really cool.

Kuroiro's face disappeared but he gave Lee one more thumbs up before he molded back within the shadow completely. Lee couldn't have even guessed he was there if he didn't know any better. These Villains wouldn't know what hit them.

Lee hurried into the building and quickly analyzed it. The building had two levels to it from what he noticed from outside. The bomb could be on either floor, and Lee wasn't sure which floor it would be on. Lee had an idea, though.

"Kuroiro," He spoke down to his shadow. "I am going to do something that my sensei may not approve, but I believe it is the right decision."

Lee didn't wait to see the reaction from his partner. Instead, he cupped his hands around his mouth to bolster the volume of his voice and yelled as loud as he could. He hoped his idea worked.

"Hiding is not very manly Tetsutetsu! Show your face and fight me like a real hero!" he yelled out into the building.

Lee hoped Tetsutetsu was as hot-headed as he believed him to be. Lee did not approve of using such underhanded tactics such as calling out a fellow classmate by insinuating such mean things - he'd apologize afterward -, but a Hero must use his enemies' weakness against them.

For a brief moment, after he yelled, Lee felt his shame and embarrassment rise, but it left as soon as he got what he was looking for.

"What did you just say to me?!" Tetsutetsu's voice rang out furiously from what sounded like the first floor. "I'll show you manly! L-let me go! I don't care if we give away our position! I'm gonna bash that bowl-headed jerk's face in! Let me at him!"

Lee looked down at Kuroiro in his shadow and they shared a smile. Straight ahead it was then.

Lee sprung into action quickly. He used his powerful legs to start running down the corridor. He moved swiftly. There was no telling if Tetsutetsu would calm down soon or not so Lee needed to get there.

His senses screamed and buzzed like static and Lee reflexively dropped into a crouch just a heavy fist swung through.

"Aargh!" Tetsutetsu roared as he just missed his punch. The force of the whiffed punch was enough to toss Lee's hair up. In another quick move, Lee tumbled to the left away from Tetsutetsu. He unfolded from his tumble and slid smoothly into the**Strong Fist** \- open palm in front of him and legs tense.

Tetsutetsu stomped and huffed out a strong breath as he spun to face Lee with his partner showing a few feet behind him. The light from a window reflected off of Tetsutetsue's metal body, and Lee analyzed the situation right away.

Tetsutetsu in the front. He's angry; his fists wished to impose their metallic will upon my face. I can't afford to take a hit from him while he is like that. I will have to be on the attack then. Keep him from retaliating. I'm not even sure I can do any damage with just my fists, but I must try. Maybe I'll use more kicks instead.

Lee's eyes snapped to the partner trailing a few feet behind. Lee couldn't recall his name, but Lee deduced the boy had to be a more ranged fighter. He was too far away to also be a close fighter. What could it be? No matter. He'd hope Kuroiro would take the initiative. He didn't wish to reveal his location as of yet.

Lee breathed in once and blinked. Only a couple seconds was all that passed.

He could do this.

"Heh, guess your partner went upstairs. We were banking on you two splitting up. Now, there's no one to stop me from knocking your teeth out!" Tetsutetsu yelled full of overwhelming rage as he charged at Lee with a snarl.

He could do this?

He had no chance to answer for he was forced to fend away the sharp swipes aimed for his face. His lead hand snapped up and pushed away from the first swipe by the wrist and the follow-up. He stepped back and let the swift rising knee to the gut just miss. The big whiff was just the opening Lee needed to go on the offensive.

He ducked to the floor and extended his leg into a spinning low sweep. Since Tetsutetsu was still only on one foot, he couldn't have hoped to dodge. The sweep connected and Tetsutetsu was suspended in the air for a moment with nothing on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden loss of a leg to stand on, and Lee capitalized with a crouching side kick straight to Tetsutetsu's metal chest.

The kick connected with a ringing thud of force and Tetsutetsu was sent a few feet away. Lee would give him no room to breathe, so he charged him.

In a superb display of durability and strength, Tetsutetsu clamped onto the ground with his claw-like fingers and stopped his tumbling with barely a wince. He looked up to see a charging Lee and smiled dangerously before he charged right back.

Tetsutetsu's charge was linear and easy to read, so Lee took ruthless advantage. He shot in the air and spun into a blistering fast hook kick. Tetsutetsu had no choice but to block the kick, so he crossed his arms and braced himself. The kick connected with another loud thud against Tetsutetsu's guard, and he skidded a few inches to the side from the force. Lee did not stop at just the one kick, though, and torqued his hips mid-air to spin even further into a backward hook kick that slammed against Tetsutetsu's guard, which sent him skidding back another few inches.

Lee couldn't let up. Again, he dashed forward but this time he feinted low with a sweep. Tetsutetsu bit on the feint hard and jumped up in the air thinking he had preemptively avoided another leg sweep. Lee moves from the feint into a spin kick that smashed right into Tetsutetsu's gut with a loud clang. The kick was strong enough to knock some of the air out of Tetsutetsu's lungs and send him flying back a few feet.

Lee has to grit his teeth as the reverberations from his foot meeting metal traveled up through his leg. He lowered his leg and slid back into the base **Strong Fist** form. The surge of pride he felt at executing a textbook **Leaf Whirlwind** made him smile, but the good feeling didn't last too long.

The kicks weren't enough to break through Tetsutetsu's metal shell, which Lee wasn't too surprised about. The guy was literally made of metal - may be steel - and it would take something a bit more powerful to break through it seemed. Still, though, to take his kicks full on like that and barely even budge was impressive, metal body or not. Lee had blown through solid concrete and tree trunks with less effort.

It didn't matter. He would just have to hit him even harder then.

As he got on the balls of his feet, Lee tensed his legs and prepared to spring forward, but to his surprise, his feet began to slowly sink into the ground.

What?!

Lee quickly glanced down with wide, shocked eyes. What was this? The floor was just solid a minute ago, right?!

The sound of quickly approaching footsteps had him looking back up to see Tetsutetsu charging him.

"Got you now!" Tetsutetsu roared as he cranked his arm back and made a fist. The metal of his arm glinted dangerously in the light, and Lee felt his stomach clench and heard his heart thudding in his ears.

Lee hurriedly tried to pull his feet up from the quicksand-like floor, but it seemed to only cause him to sink more. He had no choice but to just stand in it or risk sinking even further. He had to think of a way out of this. Maybe Kuroiro could - no time! Tetsutetsu was attacking him with ruthless aggression.

Feet stuck in the floor, Lee had no choice but to stand his ground. The heavy overhand swing was just barely dodged as was the follow-up jab. Lee focused and tightened up. He swayed his head to the right and dodged the punch rocketing toward his face. He swayed his head again and felt the brush of air generated by Tetsutetsu's powerful straight slap against his cheek.

Lee countered with an uppercut that connected with Tetsutetsu's chin, but, to Lee's shock, his punch was bulldozed right through. He just pushed through it like it was nothing?! What strength!

Tetsutetsu drove the punch straight down and out of the way with his metal chin and punished a caught off guard Lee with a mean body blow. The punch landed and it felt like getting hit with a brick - no with a cement block right to the gut. No core training Lee had done would have prepared him to tank such a hit. The padding he wore might've saved his organs from being pulverized, but it didn't seem to make it any less painful.

The blow forced all the air out Lee's lungs along with some spittle from his mouth. It was a small mercy he didn't vomit on the spot. That was as far as any mercy was extended toward him though.

From the vicious body shot, Tetsutetsu threw a hook at his head that Lee had no choice but to block. The punch slammed against his forearms and Lee could've sworn he felt something in his arm crack. His forearm flared up in agony as it blocked the punch, and Lee wasn't sure if it was better or worse than being punched in the face.

His left arm limply fell to his side. Things weren't looking so good. With Tetsutetsu still in his face and no way to get his feet unstuck, Lee felt his hopes of winning the fight plummet into the ground. He couldn't even open one of the Gates if he wanted to. No, he just had to survive until Kuroiro got to the bomb or something! Gosh, he was really regretting agreeing to that plan after all. He knew the plan was for Kuroiro to get to the bomb, but he couldn't lend Lee even a little assistance?

Lee was forced out his thoughts as he ducked another heavy swing aimed for his head and swayed backward from the following right cross. That was how things went for a brief period, Tetsutetsu swinging and Lee dodging and redirecting the sloppy yet devastatingly strong swings away from his face.

"Stay still!" Tetsutetsu demanded furiously, huffing heavily as yet another of his punches didn't land.

Sweating from the too many close calls, for a moment, Lee thought he could tire Tetsutetsu out and capitalize on that. How much longer would it take for Kuroiro to get to the objective?

Lee's hopes were dashed as Tetsutetsu did something out of the ordinary.

As Lee swayed his head side to side to let another one of Tetsutetsu's punches barely miss him, Tetsutetsu didn't retract his arms. Instead, he locked them in place around Lee's head cutting off his ability to move his head. Surprised by the move, Lee tried to force the hands off his head, but Tetsutetsu's grip didn't budge.

"Take this!" Tetsutetsu yelled as he swung his head forward in a headbutt.

Locked in the clinch, Lee was defenseless against the incoming headbutt. He closed his eyes and braced himself as best he could.

When it hit, there wasn't any immense pain - not immediately at least. He heard a sickening clack of head meeting steel, he blinked, and then he was suddenly looking at a moving ceiling. Everything was swaying, and he couldn't feel his limbs. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears, but it sounded miles away. There was something else; some type of noises he couldn't make out. It all sounded like gibberish, but it felt familiar. He closed his eyes to get away from the swaying ceiling that was slowly making his stomach feel like it was overseas and almost screamed out at the agonizing pain that appeared in his head.

His head felt like he had taken one of Gai-sensei's spinning heel kicks to the face again. It was a searing, throbbing pain that felt like someone dumped molten lava on his head and left it there. The pain made the swaying sensation even worse and he felt bile rise to the back of his throat. Again, he heard the noises but closer this time. Like they were right in front of his face.

Pushing through the pain, Lee opened his eyes to see a powered down Tetsutetsu waving a hand in front of his face. His mouth was moving but his voice was all muffled like someone had stuck cotton balls in Lee's ears. Lee winced as his ears popped and sound came back to him.

"...it you that hard, Lee. Can you hear me?" Tetsutetsu asked him concernedly.

"I can hear you, Tetsutetsu," Lee mumbled dazedly. Ugh, wait, talking hurt. It was all starting to come back to him now. He had lost consciousness after Tetsutetsu's wild headbutt. Ugh, that explained why his head hurt so much. He probably had a concussion now.

"Oh, whew," Tetsutetsu breathed out a sigh of relief. "I thought I knocked you too hard there. Not a long of things can stand up to one of my headbutts."

Lee winced as his own head seemed to throb as a testament to the claim. Why was Tetsutetsu talking to him, though? Wasn't the trial still going on?

"Gosh, I can't believe you guys won, though," Tetsutetsu complained. "Sneaky Kuroiro going behind our backs to get to the bomb while I and Juzo were occupied with you. I'm going to assume you two planned this, too. Grr, I can't believe we fell for it. I bet you calling me out like that was part of the plan too!"

At the rise in volume, Lee couldn't keep in his groan of pain. The groan caused Tetsutetsu to look a little guilty.

"My bad, man," Tetsutetsu apologized with a sheepish look of guilt on his face.

Tetsutetsu reached down and tossed Lee's arm, luckily the good one, over his shoulder and hoisted him up. The sudden movement made his vision swim even more, but the worst of nausea had passed luckily enough.

"There we go. C'mon, let's get you to the nurse or whatever. The other two are already headed back to the group. Vlad-sensei said I had to take you since it was my fault you were going in the first place," Tetsutetsu explained with a roll of his eyes as if Lee's current condition was anything BUT his fault.

Lee grunted in acknowledgment as they started moving and Tetsutetsu started talking to fill the silence. He appreciated the effort, though. He should thank him when he could speak more than grunts of 'yes' or 'no' whenever he was asked a question. Truthfully, much of what Tetsutetsu was saying was going in one ear and out the other. The pain from his head, arm, and side (in that order) was distracting him enough to where he wasn't really paying attention.

As Tetsutetsu chattered away and Lee's pain became a bit more bearable, they came upon the infirmary in no time. The giant red cross and words saying 'Nurse's Office' a few feet ahead were obvious enough.

"Oh, we're here," Tetsutetsu noted happily as he half-carried half-trudged a not-all-there Lee along with him.

Lee nodded and then groaned in pain. Okay, no nodding, nodding bad.

Tetsutetsu noticed his pain and smiled guiltily. "My bad again, dude. Why didn't you use your Quirk or something instead of all those regular punches and kicks? You kick pretty hard by the way, but your punches could use a little work," Tetsutetsu informed him as they entered.

Half listening to the question, Lee only caught the first half of what he said. In his delirious state, Lee's brain had definitely lost his filter. Sadly, that meant he relied on reflex to answer anything Tetsutetsu asked him, and due to years of being pestered and asked about it, his response to anyone asking him about anything related to him and a Quirk was to deny he had one. It was the truth after all, and Gai-sensei said to always tell the truth.

So, that's what he did.

As they pushed the door of the Nurse's office open - a convenient push door too - and entered, Lee answered honestly.

"Don' have...one," He mumbled out, wincing at the movement opening the door caused to his head.

Tetsutetsu stopped them both dead in the entryway of the Nurse's office.

"What was that, Lee?" Tetsutetsu asked with a confused look on his face.

Before Lee could answer, they were interrupted by the appearance of the nurse, **Recovery Girl**.

She waddled out with her needle cane and pointed to one of the open beds.

"Place him right there. Your sensei called ahead and told me you were coming," here she scoffed. "You kids just love injuring each other, don't you?"

The Pro Hero's commanding tone was enough to grab Tetsutetsu's attention, and he dutifully followed her directions. He placed Lee as softly as he could in the bed, wincing in guilt at the groan of pain Lee let off from having to be jostled like that.

"Good," the old medic complimented. "Now, if only you weren't the one to put him in here, I'd think about giving you a reward. Unless," she brandished her needle cane, its metal tip glinting ominously. "you don't mind something a little different?"

In the face of an oddly intimidating old lady with a giant, menacing needle that promised only pain and suffering, Tetsutetsu high-tailed it out of there with a frantic 'Hope you get better, Lee.'. By the time Recovery Girl put her needle down, the boy was out the door.

"Hehe," she chuckled and smiled smugly to herself. "Still got it."

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A/N: New chapter and it's kind of longer than normal. I tried to keep true to the original outfit but added a realistic flair to it that I felt made sense with his status as being Quirkless and the advanced technology and engineering capabilities of the My Hero world.

I hope the fight scene was decent. If you've ever been in a fight, you know fights don't last that long and against TetsuX4, it was even shorter due to his Quirk and the fact Juzo caught Lee off guard.

Anywho, read, review, and enjoy! Till next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Big Sis Kendo!

Chapter 7: Big Sis Kendo!

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The last thing Lee expected outside of the gates of school was the press. The mob of people in slightly ruffled suits and skirts with microphones and cameras was so numerous he couldn't even see the gates of the school! They had the energy of one at least with all the clamoring and yelling about All Might. They weren't inside the school, though, so that was a good thing Lee thinks. They were blocking the way inside, though, so if Lee wanted to get within the safety of the school walls, he would have to go through them.

He tightened the straps to his satchel. Well, here goes nothing.

Lee elbowed and shoved his way through the frenzied press, admiring the ability of the guy with the glasses to stand in front of all those people without freaking out or being overwhelmed by the tide of the press looking for a story to sell. Lee was popped out of the crowd and stumbled into the front gates. He was almost home free until a microphone was shoved in his face. Suddenly there was a slightly sweaty man all in his personal space, a man with a camera hanging right over his shoulder.

"Kid, are you in the hero course? Have you seen All Might? Can you tell us where he is?!" The man asked rapidly, pushing the microphone almost into his chest. The man's leering look made him look almost zombie-like with the dark circles under his eyes. His breath smelled like a coffee shop and mints, and Lee had to lean away from all of that.

Yet, the man followed him and put the mic right back in Lee's face. He wheeled away, uncomfortable with the attention and weird man, but the guy kept pushing the mic closer and closer with an unrepentant, plastic smile on his face. Maybe if Lee answered one of the questions, the man would stop bothering him?

What was the first question the man asked if he was in the Hero Course?

"Yes, I am in the hero course," He finally turned and answered. The man perked up, hungrily latching onto Lee's answer and pushing the mic even closer. The cameraman followed. "I'm in class 1-B, and-"

"What? 1-B?" The man's smile dropped and got an offended look on his face like Lee had made him smell something he didn't like. The man scoffed and, thankfully, lowered his microphone. "I'm looking for kids from 1-A, not the substitute class."

Wait, what? Now, that wasn't nice. His class was not a 'substitute' to 1-A.

Feeling the need to defend his class and classmates, Lee readied to counter the rude man.

Before he could get started in telling that man how un-youthful his words and actions have been, something grabbed around the back of his uniform and dragged him away from the crowd and through the front gates of the school.

"Gotcha, Lee!" a friendly voice called from behind him.

Lee turned around and his day just became great before it even started.

"Mina!" He cried out. Before he even realized he was doing it, he swooped in and gave her a hug. Here was his first friend! She passed the exam! Wait.

He pulled back from the hug. "You passed the exam!" He burst out. She had done it. She had made it in too! Why hadn't he seen her around until today, though?

"Yeah, I passed!" Mine beamed, pink cheeks stretched far thanks to her wide smile. "Got into 1-A! Oh, yea!" She cheered and flashed him a 1 with one hand.

Before he could continue with his friend, another voice cut in.

"Oh, you all in 1-A must think you're so much cooler than us in 1-B, huh?" Monoma asked in a rude voice. "Just because you're in 1-A don't think you armmpfh!"

Itsuka's hand had covered Monoma's mouth, but from the angry muffled noises, he wasn't letting it stop him.

"Sorry about him," Itsuka apologized as she maneuvered their classmate into the school. "I'll just get him to class, Lee. See you in there," She said and dragged a struggling Monoma behind her.

"Mmmfphgh!"

"You won't embarrass us, Monoma! Settle your issues some other time!"

"Mmfummuhu!"

"Oh, just be quiet and be dragged away with some class!"

They passed through the front doors with more muffled anger and dragging.

Mina and Lee both couldn't not giggle and laugh at the duo's antics.

"So those were your classmates, huh? The girl seems the responsible type," Mina noted.

Lee nodded. Itsuka did seem the responsible type, and this just proved it. Plus, introducing herself to everybody in the class on the first day was pretty responsible.

He remembered the boy with the glasses speaking to the press. He probably was in 1-A if what the guy who had harassed him was telling the truth.

"Let's walk and talk. I know our classrooms are in the same direction, right?" She asked him.

He nodded and they started walking through the front doors of the school. The classrooms were on the same path. 1-B was just further down around the corner by the support department while 1-A was closer to the nurse's office.

"What do you think of your class so far, Mina? Is Shoji in your class too? I don't know if he passed or not," Lee said.

He really didn't know who was all in 1-A besides Mina and the guy with the glasses(probably). It'd be a good thing to learn about his sister's class.

Mina perked up and answered, "Yeah, Shoji passed and is in class with me. He's a pretty cool guy. Strong too!"

She tilted her head in a thoughtful expression. "Now that I think about, everybody in my class is pretty strong. There's a guy who can shoot explosions out of his hands and-and a kid who is strong like All Might and we have Endeavor's son too! My class is kind of stacked," she murmured at the end, shoulders slumping a bit. She looked disheartened.

Did she not think she could compete with them? That was just ridiculous to Lee. Mina was excellent. If anybody couldn't compete it was him. He was the one without a Quirk. He sighed internally as he realized that. Lee would have to tell her the truth soon, but, right now, he had to set her head straight before the day started. Gai-sensei said having the right mindset was half the battle.

"Mina," he started and continued after her eyes peeked at him through dark eyelashes. Her eyes were so cool. "you've made it to U.A. into the Hero Course. That's a splendid achievement. Everyone here is strong in their own way, and that means you too," he told her earnestly.

U.A. was the top hero school in the country for a reason. Not many people made the cut because the bar was set so high. So, for Mina to make it means she was strong enough. It meant Lee was strong enough too since he was right here with her.

Wow, okay, motivational thought. He'd remember that one.

He looked over at Mina who seemed to be mulling over his words as they walked. She wasn't slumped over anymore, but she still seemed down. Maybe he could try something else? He knew exactly how she was feeling. Gai-sensei's words of wisdom wouldn't do here.

They were close to 1-A now; Lee could hear the voices as they approached. They stopped outside the classroom, and Lee turned to a quiet Mina chewing on her lip in thought. He resolved to leave her with some of his own personal wisdom he acquired.

"You'll never be happy comparing yourself to others, Mina," he told her. She focused on him and Lee knew he had her full attention. "But, that doesn't mean you can't find happiness with yourself and your own abilities. Be the best Mina that you can be because there isn't anybody like you in the world," he finished.

She didn't say anything for a moment, and a part of Lee was worried he said too much. Was it rude of him to assume she needed advice in the first place? Maybe she already had things figured out, and here he comes thinking he knew better.

Lee's thoughts were interrupted as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He staggered back half a step before he realized what she was doing.

She squeezed him and murmured in his ear, "Thank you, Lee."

He smiled and hugged her back. Just as he was about wave her thanks off, a lazy sounding voice interrupted the moment and scared the both of them. They

"Class is to start soon, so I think you two should wrap up whatever this is," the tired sounding voice said.

They jumped away from each other and Lee looked to see who had spoken up.

A tall, thin man with shoulder-length hair and bags under his bloodshot eyes stood there by the classroom door with his hand on the handle. Was he 1-A's sensei?

"Aizawa- sensei!" Mina squeaked. Oh, well that answered his question.

"Mina," her sense greeted tiredly, eyes never leaving Lee. It unnerved him a tiny bit. The bloodshot eyes and bags made his face look kind of scary. Did the man get any sleep at all before coming to school? He looked ready to fall asleep on his feet. It wasn't very responsible of him to not get any sleep before coming to teach. Unless maybe it had to do with his Quirk?

Mina turned to him. "Thank you for walking with me back to class, Lee. Maybe we can meet up at lunch?" She asked hopefully.

Was it even a question?

"Of course, Mina!" He answered right back. He hadn't seen her the previous times they had lunch, but he blamed that more so on how many people there were than anything else. Lee was just glad he'd get some more time with his friend.

She nodded with a bright smile and her sensei, Aizawa-sensei, opened the door just as she turned to enter. Her sensei stood outside still, eyes glued to Lee. Lee wasn't even sure the man had blinked yet.

When Mina was gone and it was just him and her sensei, Lee quickly grew a little uncomfortable under the man's stare. It was weirding him out a little, but Lee wouldn't speak badly about him. He was teaching one of the Hero courses at U.A. There had to be more to him than someone who didn't get enough sleep. He'd figure it out later. Lee had to get to class.

"Ah," He began awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. "Uhm, have a good class, Aizawa-sensei," He said as he turned around to head to his own class. He'd apologize later if his abruptness offended him. Lee just needed to get to class before he missed anything.

Oddly, though, as he walked towards his own homeroom and sensei who definitely got a full night of sleep, he felt Mina's sensei's eyes on him until he turned the corner.

How odd.

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Lee plopped himself down his seat with a wave to Pony and Itsuka. He got a nod from Tetsu and Kuroiro as well, which helped settle some of the anxiety he held about yesterday's Battle Trial. He luckily still had a few minutes before class started, so he decided to mentally review the feedback he'd gotten from yesterday.

Lee wasn't sure what to think. He had gotten the grade after he was cleared from the nurse's office, while it wasn't the grade he was hoping for it wasn't as bad as some of the others. He couldn't stop the glance back at the timid girl with the long brown front bangs that covered her eyes. Her trial did not go that well.

Lee's recovery in the nurse's office didn't take long, but he had missed his own peer-reviewed report. Vlad-sensei had given him the notes and recording to take home and listen to, which he did. His peers and sensei made several points while some didn't make sense to him.

The plan worked, so he didn't understand why it was marked in the negative. So he got knocked out. That was more his own fault then their collective fault, right? Gai-sensei always said that he had to fight his own battles because others weren't going to fight them for him and Lee couldn't agree more. It was why he was training so hard in the first place. If he lost, that was on his shoulders. End of discussion. He just had to get better for next time and push himself even harder. When he suggested upping his training, though, Gai-sensei told him he'd have to ask Vlad-sensei since that's who Lee would be seeing for the majority of his time nowadays.

Lee didn't see the sense in that, though. From what he's seen from the clips on the internet, Vlad-sensei's fighting style was really grappler based. He got up close and personal and subdued the villains with his overwhelming strength. Lee was built for speed and the speed helped boost the power behind his attacks. He would be better off asking Edgeshot for help or Mirko, but that's a wild dream he didn't see being realized ever actually.

Another thing that was colored red for 'needs improvement' was his 'recklessness' and fighting tactics. Lee knew how to fight and he knew how to win. The note said something about how he shouldn't have fought Tetsu one on one due to his Quirk making him almost impossible to defeat in hand to hand. It said 'look to debilitate instead of fight head-on', but wasn't that...un-youthful? It wouldn't have been fair to use un-youthful tactics in a fight.

A couple of good things that were noted, but nothing substantial. Good wasn't good enough here, and he knew that. Not in his case at least. Good might be enough for those with quirks, but he didn't have the privilege.

"You okay?" Pony's voice cut through his thoughts and Lee was back in the classroom.

Why was she asking if he was okay?

"Your hands, Lee. You're making fists," she noted, a look of clear concern written all over her face. She reached out and her hand fell softly over his.

Lee looked down at his hands and immediately unclenched them. He hadn't even realized. If it wasn't for Pony placing her actually really warm hands on his he'd-

Wait...

Lee looked down at their joined hands on top of his desk. After he unclenched them, his and Pony's hands were almost intertwined. Like, like how he'd seen in those romance movies Gai-sensei watched when it was his choice to pick. When the two people were boyfriend and girlfriend.

He felt his face warm up. Was, was Pony trying to tell him something?

As if she could read his mind, Pony gripped his hand a little tighter and gave him a smile that made him feel all weird inside.

"You can talk to me if anything's bothering you, Lee. I'm your friend," she said.

Something softened in his chest that he didn't even know was there and left him feeling all warm and gooey inside like hot fudge.

He didn't really know what to say to something like that. He wasn't sure anyone his age had "Thank you, Pony," he told her with the utmost sincerity. "I'm glad we're friends."

Those seemed to be the right words, as Pont smiled softly but meaningfully at him. The sound of movement at the front of the classroom pulled his and Pony's attention. It was, a looking well-rested, Vlad-sensei standing tall in front of the class. Lee hoped he'd grow to be that tall someday.

"Today we are going to be electing a class representative," Vlad revealed. Immediately everyone began to mutter amongst themselves. Becoming class representative of a Hero course in U.A. your first year? That was a big deal. Vlad continued, halting everyone as they listened attentively. "Those of you willing to take on the responsibility, raise your hands," he said and everyone's hand shot up.

Vlad-sensei sighed and shook his head while muttering something under his breath about knowing this would happen. "You all can't be the class representative," He said dryly.

Everyone's hands dropped and they began talking amongst themselves. Well, that certainly changed things. How were they going to choose a class representative then?

Itsuka's arm flew straight into the air like it was shot out of a cannon and Vlad-sensei wasted no time in calling on her.

"Why don't we hold a vote?" Itsuka suggested. "The person with the most votes would obviously be the best choice since they would be picked by their own classmates."

Vlad-sensei hummed but didn't say anything else. He was waiting for one of us to say something. Vlad-sensei liked letting us voice our thoughts in class. He said they would have to start thinking for themselves sometimes, so they might as well here.

His patience bore fruit because another hand flew up. It was a boy with a long, single black braid going down his back, Hiryu Rin, and Vlad-sensei indicated for him to speak.

"Are we allowed to vote for ourselves? What happens if everyone votes for themselves?" He asked. His voice was cool and steady, bearing none of the voice cracks his peers sometimes let out.

Itsuka moved to answer, but stopped and looked to Vlad-sensei. He gave her a nod of permission to answer.

"Yes, we would be allowed to vote for ourselves, and yes, that is a possibility, but we as future Pro-heroes have a responsibility to pick someone we think could do the job right," She responded.

Another hand, this time a girl with a well-maintained, black bob cut hairstyle, Yui Kodai, shot up and was called on.

"We don't know each other that well, it hasn't been that long since school started, so how can we expect to make the right choice?" She asked, her voice was kind of soft but it carried well as there were some murmurs of agreement from even the people farthest away from her.

It was a good enough question to leave Itsuka hesitant for the barest of moments before she rallied and answered in a firm voice, "Then we'll spend the rest of the time we have getting to know each other if that is alright with Vlad-sensei," she added at the end with a look over at the observing Pro-hero.

He nodded and leaned back against his desk with a creak. "You have until the end of homeroom after lunch. We do have things to do today," he said to the slight excitement of the class.

Itsuka nodded at that and continued. "Okay, see? We have until the end of homeroom to decide, so even if things don't go right the first time, we can try again until we get it right," She declared to the whole class. Every pair of eyes were on her as she spoke, "Being Class representative goes beyond the classroom. It is a promise to your peers that you will work in their best interests and represent them the best you can when the time calls for it. Like a hero."

"This is sounding a lot like a 'vote for me' speech more and more as you go on," Monoma quipped from where he leaned back in his chair. He tipped forward and his chair legs clacked against the ground. "I say we get on with the vote before our 'big sister' Itsuka has to make another speech," he smirked. The nickname garnered a few chuckles from the class, and Itsuka's brow twitched agitatedly until a smug smile grew on her face.

"Well then," she said slyly. "After you, 'little brother'," she said with extra emphasis on the word little. The class 'oooud' as a collective, and Monoma didn't have a chance to make a comeback as Vlad-sensei began handing out strips of paper for them to write down who they wanted to vote for.

In no time the votes were collected and counted. The results were in.

"Introducing your new class representative, Itsuka Kendo," Vlad-sensei announced to them.

Itsuka blinked confusedly in her seat as Setsuna playfully nudged her shoulder and the rest of the class clapped for her.

"W-what?" her face was the very definition of confusion as her eyes went from the results to the class to their sensei repeatedly in that order. "M-me? But, I said vote for who you all think would do the job right!" She insisted.

Setsuna scooted over and threw an arm over her friends' shoulders to grab her attention. "And we did, class rep," She said and pointed a finger at Itsuka's face. "And we picked you."

"Yeah," Tetsutetsu added from his own seat and Itsuka turned to listen. "You're the only one who can get Monoma to close his mouth," he joked.

"You were the one to come up with the idea in the first place, Itsuka," Lee chimed in and gave her a reassuring smile. "Your flames of youth burn bright!"

The class nodded and agreed as one. Itsuka's eyes filtered from face to face, each of them giving her a nod of confidence.

"The Lord shines his light on you," Ibara said loftily.

"Your name was the only one I actually remembered," Nirengeki Shoda, a short boy with extremely light blue, almost white, hair murmured just loud enough for Itsuka to hear.

Finally, her eyes landed on Monoma who shrugged easily and said, "Don't make me regret my vote, 'big sis," he teased with a taunting smirk, but Itsuka paid it no mind. She only nodded decisively, determination shining in her eyes.

She got up from her seat, sliding off Setsuna's arm, and bowed at the waist. "Thank you all so much for your support! I promise to not let any of you down as your class representative!" She promised with as much conviction as possible. Unseen, she didn't see the proud smile flash across her sensei's face.

(End Chapter 5)

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AN: Read/Review if you want to. Hope everyone is staying safe and if you are protesting please be smart and stay safe. Rubber bullets hurt and the police aren't shooting them properly. I don't see why they're shooting them at all, but I mean...So does pepper spray and tear gas. Hurt, I mean. Not a fun combination, so I'd say figure out ways to protect yourself and your fellow protestors from them as best as possible. Also, protect small businesses. They're the most vulnerable spots as their ability to bounce back from a looting are is not as high as the store fronts of big corporations. If you aren't in the streets, there are still other ways to support such as donating, speaking up, helping spread _factual _news around and checking those that are trying to take away from the movement. I just want police brutality to stop and the perpetrators held accountable but even that seems too big an ask.

If you have something negative to say, save it. It's not my job to educate you when we live in the same country with the same access to Google. There are countless resources online to educate yourself if you are willing, and, if you're not, then there's no helping you and you can go somewhere else. Property can be replaced and fixed, lives and families cannot.

Rip George Floyd and the countless others.


	8. Chapter 8: Lean On Me

Chapter 8: Lean on Me

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Their classroom was steeped in a sickeningly tense air that made his head feel like someone had stuck two pieces of cotton in his ears and then told him to spin around a dozen or so times. He glanced up, and the clock on the upper wall told him barely any time had crawled by. The suffocating silence made him want to jump out of a window just so he could breathe freely. He took a breath that was supposed to be relaxing, but the air came and went like a breeze through loose leaves.

After the last hour, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear anything but good news. He couldn't think about the bad even though it was all his brain frustratingly kept coming back to. How could he not when villains - for the first time in forever - successfully broke into the USJ facility while 1-A was there! While Mina was there!

When the boy with the quirk startling similar to Ingenium's busted through the door, it was as if the whole world had stopped. Lee was sure he wouldn't ever forget the desperate, gasping cry for help from the spectacled teen.

"_Villains at USJ! They need help!"_

And that was all it took before their sensei gave them stern, brief instructions to make their way back to the classroom. Then he and the teen were gone in a rush of speed to get more help.

The rest of them were left to deal with the fallout and their own mixed emotions. How could a day that was shaping up to be exciting turn out to be...this. They all made it back to the class quietly; no one seemed to have the courage to voice their thoughts. Lee didn't blame a single one of them.

This entire situation wasn't supposed to be possible, but there wasn't a part of Lee that didn't think it was true. There was no way it wasn't because why would an aspiring hero at UA lie about such a thing? No, it was real, and that made it even worse.

He had watched countless videos of heroes defeating villains. He knew what they were capable of, and 1-A, Mina, had to survive that. Lee didn't know the caliber of villains invading USJ. They could be on All Might's level for all he knew! They could be-No! Okay, relax. He screwed his eyes shut and pushed that train of thought off.

He opened his eyes slowly and risked a curious glance around. The classroom was so quiet, anyone walking by might've thought the class was empty. The energetic chatter Lee was growing fondly familiar with was nowhere to be found. Everyone else looked lost in thought, gazing down at their desks or just off into space. It wasn't comforting to see he wasn't alone in his heavy thoughts. Were they thinking along the same lines as him? Were they feeling hopeless and down like him? Their flames of youth and passion were at an all-time low, his included, and, well, wasn't that the villains' goal? To strangle their hope and instill within them a crippling fear and helplessness?

It was like the sun rose in his head and chest as he realized the real root of his stony silence. He was afraid. He was scared of the villains, he was scared for 1-A, and he was scared for Mina. He reasoned that the whole class was hesitant and unwilling to admit it because heroes weren't supposed to be, at least not from the videos. Pro heroes seemed fearless every time they faced off against some villain, but he and his class weren't heroes yet. They were all still learning.

Gai-sensei would say they were all still blossoming into wonderful heroes.

Lee felt something hot and distracting rise up in him at the thought of villains stomping out anyone's dreams with their deplorable tactics. To attack a school of future heroes and try to destroy their dreams? He wouldn't let them! The feeling that had risen in his chest felt ready to spill out. Lee didn't really think about it as he shot up from his desk, and all eyes had turned to him.

He stiffened like he'd been caught red-handed beneath his classmates' dull looks. Lee felt his palms begin to sweat. He gulped once and stood up straighter, taller, just like Gai-sensei did when he had to say something important. Lee felt his knees tremble more and more, and his legs felt as flimsy as wet noodles. Lee couldn't find the strength to even raise an arm, but he refused to sit back down. Not now, not ever.

He took a breath and started speaking slowly. "I," he began haltingly. He swallowed, but he found his mouth dried out and tongue frustratingly cumbersome to move.

He couldn't back out now. So, he forced himself to start talking.

"I am afraid," Lee began. He wouldn't dare risk looking anyone in the eye long enough to see what they thought about his admission, so he kept his eyes locked straight ahead. "I am afraid and worried, and I don't know what has become of our fellow classmates and sensei in 1-A, but I won't allow my fear stop me, and neither should all of you!" He yelled and threw a hand out. He needed to let his flames of youth burn right through the despairing cloud that had come over him and his class. He'd rekindle their downtrodden spirits with his own if he had to!

"The villains think they can scare us and make us feel hopeless by attacking our classmates. I'll admit that...I'll admit that it worked," He admitted dejectedly. It didn't make him feel any better, stating that out loud, but the class needed to hear it. "We're all in here with our heads down thinking of nothing but the worst or close to it that we don't realize we're doing exactly what the villains want," he told them. He had only just realized it himself, but he knew that wasn't a good enough excuse. Their job as heroes is to lead the way even when the road is blocked. Lee gathered his nerve to look at his classmates and crossed his fingers that he wasn't just standing here, making a fool of himself.

"I-I won't let them win," he began in a low voice. He then raised it and continued. "I won't, I refuse," He pointed outwards. "Our classmates are probably fighting for their lives, for their dreams, against villains that want to harm them, and it's our job to support them - to believe in them!" He said passionately. "That boy ran all the way here from USJ to get help and even after getting Vlad-sensei's attention he kept going when he could've just stopped and let sensei handle it, but he didn't. He didn't because he knew that his classmates were in danger and needed to help them no matter what it took. Well, I am ready to do the same! The villains haven't won. Instead of letting my fear control me, I am choosing to stand up to it, to stand up to these villains, and believe in my classmates and sensei. I won't just sit here being afraid anymore!"

Lee panted lightly and licked his now dry lips. He wished he had some water after all that talking. Lee looked at the indiscernible faces of his classmates and straightened his posture. He stood by what he said, embarrassment or naysayers be damned. He couldn't just sit here anymore. That wasn't what Gai-sensei had taught him to do. No, when the going got tough, the tough got going, and that was what Lee did. He only hoped he wasn't alone.

"Yeah!" Itsuka hollered in support, and Lee's heart soared high into the sky. She shot from her seat, fist clenched in front of eyes ablaze with rekindled flames of youth. "We shouldn't be in here with our heads down acting like a bunch of scared little kids because we're not," she turned to Lee, her teal eyes shining brighter than he had ever seen them before, and smiled at him. "It's okay to be scared, and I'm afraid too. I'm afraid for Vlad-sensei and 1-A, but I won't let my fear and worries get me down anymore! My dad is a hero," everyone gasped quietly because what? They never knew that, "retired, though, and he always told me that any hero who said they don't feel fear was a liar because fear is natural. It is your body's reaction to danger. He said what makes great heroes great like All Might and even Endeavor was that they didn't let their fear stop them from being heroes. I won't let it stop me," she pointed a finger out everyone in the class, "and you shouldn't let it stop you either!"

Lee felt his heart skip a beat, and he felt as bright as a star. He felt like if he jumped in the air, he'd fly away. It meant so much to him to have Itsuka's support. He wasn't laughed at or told to sit down. No, she got up to stand with him, and that was...that was-

He felt something run down his face, and he wiped at it. His eyes burned slightly, and his vision grew blurry. He blinked once to clear it away, and he felt more things run down his face that he wiped away. He chuckled incredulously. He almost couldn't believe it.

"They're right!" Pony added and stood up too. Lee looked at her with wide-eyed wonder and hope. She grinned at him and nudged his side playfully before continuing. "I'm scared, but I won't let that keep me sad. Like Lee said," and didn't that make him just want to cry some more, "our classmates are fighting, and I'm going to believe in them and our sensei. I'm worried and a little scared, but I won't let that keep me down. Not now, not ever," she declared stoutly.

"Well, I must say," Monoma started as he casually rose from his seat. "If heroes are what we are to be, then heroes we must act like, wouldn't you say Tetsu?" he asked in that condescending voice. He had just issued a challenge, and, of course, Tetsu wouldn't take that sitting down.

Tetsutetsu shot up so fast he sent his chair clattering back against the floor. "Who do you think you're talking to?" He threatened, but, at this point, everyone had grown accustomed to his default aggressive tone. Tetsu huffed, and his skin flashed silver before returning to normal. "Yeah, I was scared, I'll admit it, but the true test of any man is his ability to overcome their fear," he planted a foot on his desk. "I'll become a great hero and show those villains what a real manly hero is like!" He declared vehemently.

"Sign me up!" Tsuburaba chimed in eagerly. "We'll make sure those villains never try something like this again!"

"I agree," Kaibara added. "I suggest we take measures to support 1-A when they get back to campus. They might need assistance, and it's better than sitting around here."

"Yeah!" Setsuna chimed in as well before she suddenly jolted like someone poured cold water on her head. "Oh, oh, I've got an idea! We can go to **Recovery Girl** because they might need help when they get back," Setsuna suggested excitedly.

Everyone murmured in agreement, and Setsuna beamed even brighter. Lee wiped at his eyes and thought that Setsuna's idea was good. If Recovery Girl didn't need the extra hands, just being there, showing their support for 1-A after something like this, had to mean something. This felt like the right thing to do. It felt like the thing heroes would do, and, by the look of brightening and agreeing on faces, everyone realized too.

"Uhm," Shoda, Lee's short, grey-haired classmate began hesitatingly, "Didn't Vlad-sensei tell us to stay here, though? I just don't want him to worry if he comes back, and we're not here."

Luckily, Itsuka had an answer to that. "We'll let him know when we see him, Shoda, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll understand, so let's go! I'm sure Recovery Girl will be happy to have us," Setsuna urged excitedly. Shoda nodded, and that seemed to be the deciding nod.

As everyone left their seats, spirits lifted and confidence restored, Lee smiled so wide he thought his face would split in half. This was beyond anything he'd imagine happening. At best, he thought he'd get them to feel a little better, not _this. _But it was perfect! It was-

He felt hands shoving against his shoulder, and he looked to see Pony pushing against him.

"Let's go, Lee," Pony urged. "Let's go help our class sister," she said.

Lee laughed loudly at the mixed-up words and was surprised by how joyful he sounded. He felt like a morning sunrise, all warm and energetic.

He nodded and moved to join the rest of the class, led out the door by Itsuka towards the nurse's office.

It took them no time to make it to the office, and no time for them to enter and be greeted by Recovery Girl.

"What are you all going here?" She asked them in that shrewd voice old ladies seem to have mastered. As if this many students in her office was bound to be bad news, but no! They were the opposite!

"We, Class 1-B," Itsuka began confidently as everyone else stood together quietly but determined. "Want to help you help 1-A when they get back from USJ," she said.

Recovery Girl's eyes narrowed, and her lips pulled back into a thin pink line. Her wrinkly skin bunched together on her forehead, and then she hmmd and looked at them. And, no, it wasn't a regular look, it was THE _look. _It was that look old people gave you when they wanted to see if you were telling the truth. The heavy, unmoving stare that could pry the truth from even the most un-youthful spirits.

The veteran healer gave everyone that look one by one, and, the instant it got to him, Lee felt like he'd been stripped bare. It felt as if she could see every un-youthful thing he'd ever done and judged his worthiness. He felt the sudden urge to apologize, but Lee knew he was here in good spirit. He was here to help, with or without her approval.

Recovery girl suddenly turned to Pony, and Lee felt regretful at how relieved he felt to be done with _that. _Pony froze next to him as the_ look _settled onto her. He wished he could help, but Pony was sure to be insulted if he thought she couldn't handle it independently.

He held his breath as she finished making them all feel like they were children and hmmd again.

"Well, if you all are so serious about it, I guess you can help," She said, and Lee's breath of relief was echoed by several others. Recovery Girl grew a tiny smirk and cleared her throat before giving directions to them all.

As they were not medically trained whatsoever, she delegated them to a purely supportive role of grabbing bandages, water, snacks, and other supplies. She also prepared them for the worst by showing various diagrams and describing some of the more common hero injuries seen and treated at UA alone. Instead of being disheartened by it, though, it only served to make them all even more resolved to help. If the worst did happen, forbid it did, they would be here ready to help in any way they could instead of being stuck in a classroom doing nothing.

While preparing, the intercom in the nurse's office came on with a low beep before Principal Nezu spoke. "Recovery Girl and Class 1-B," he began, and Lee wondered how he knew the entire class was in here too. "The bus with 1-A is arriving at the front gates in five minutes. I've got reports from Vlad that everybody is stable with injuries ranging from minor to moderate. The only exceptions being 1-A's sensei and a student whose injuries shall need your direct attention Recovery Girl. They will need assistance in making their way to the nurse's office, class 1-B. I think seeing some friendly faces their own age might do them some good."

Then the intercom clicked off. Everyone was quiet, but Lee could see the smiles growing on their faces. He could feel the one springing into his own face. He almost couldn't believe it. 1-A was safe, for the most part, and was on their way back.

"Okay, everybody!" Itsuka began to yell, but a quick look from Recovery Girl had her lowering her volume. "Err, okay, everybody, you heard Principal Nezu. They're okay for the most part, and once we get them to Recovery Girl, even the most severe injuries bow to her healing prowess. So, c'mon guys," She started walking towards the doorway, "let's go welcome 1-A back."

Everyone cheered their agreement and made to follow Itsuka. Recovery Girl cleared her throat, and Itsuka froze up before don't a whole 180.

She smiled embarrassed, "If, uh, you have everything ready in here, sensei."

Recovery Girl waved her cane at the back where she kept the supplies. "I'm going to need some of the heavier stuff off a higher shelf if it's who I think it is with the severe injuries," she told them and then muttered something under her breath. Something about the color green and recklessness. Weird.

"I'll help her out," Kimori offered in a low, shy voice. "I have some questions about first aid I want to ask too."

Recovery Girl turned and waved her hand over her shoulder. "Then c'mon, girl. I'll see if I can't help sate some of your curiosity. At the same time, you can feel good about helping an old lady," she said as she began walking towards the door leading to the backroom.

Komori followed after the old nurse, only stopping quickly to offer them a little wave and shy smile.

Itsuka turned back toward the door and walked through with a "C'mon everybody. Let's go help our fellow future heroes!" and everyone followed after her. Lee had to say that Itsuka was doing a great job as the Class Representative so far. She acted like she had been taking charge her whole life.

As they all entered the hall and began walking towards the front where the principal had said 1-A was pulling up at, Lee couldn't help but wonder which one of 1-A was hurt. Was it someone he had yet to encounter, or was it a more familiar face like Mina? What would Lee do if it was Mina with severe injuries? Well, he'd get her to Recovery Girl as quickly as possible, so the veteran hero could work her magic like she was known to. He had no reason to worry.

Once the group headed by Itsuka made it out to the front of the school, the first thing that reached Lee's ears was the faint blaring of sirens.

The others had to have heard it too, as Yosetsu asked, "Anyone else hear sirens?"

Lee nodded that he had along with several others.

"To answer the question that you have asked out loud to everyone in the general vicinity, Awase, our fellow classmates currently on their way back to school must have a designated escort of officers whose job it is to make sure 1-A arrives back to UA safely," another student, Jurota Shishida, said.

Everyone turned to him in surprise. Their tall and hairy classmate just adjusted his glasses before continuing, "The school that we attend more than likely wished to take no chances with another possible villain attack as the likely hurt and exhausted 1-A students and sensei made their way back here. So, logical thinking would dictate they, most likely the principal, would request a police escort back to UA. Based on the recent articles detailing the agreements made between the city and the police force, such a task would fall under standard escort formation: two in the front and two in the back with the bus in the middle. Maybe some of the staff along for a further deterrent for any attacks. Though I wonder if they may have an ambulance as well for the injured," that last part was more of a question to himself, but everyone heard it.

"You know," Itsuka started, breaking the silence between them as they digested Shishida's factual guesswork. She gave their hairy classmate a look of delighted surprise. "You seem pretty smart over there, Shishida, with knowing how police escorts work. I was going to explain it, but you completely stole my thunder," she joked with a smile.

The tall teen seemed to grow embarrassed and smiled sheepishly while scratching his chin. "I-I mean, I just know some things, ma'am," he answered.

"Oh, boo that," Setsuna interjected. She threw an arm over Itsuka's shoulder and shook the orange-ette up a little. "This one right here needed her thunder stolen, Shishida, less her ego grows as big as her hands do," the spastic girl jibed with a bark of laughter.

Itsuka rolled her eyes at her friends' antics before looking back at Shishida. "Give yourself some credit, Shishida. Knowing how the police work is something we don't learn until way later," she told him.

"Wait, really?" Tsuburaba asked, his brows scrunched up in confusion. "We have to know how the police force works? I thought we just captured bad guys, gave our statements, helped clean up and then, y'know, leave. We have to remember things like escort formations?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that sounds like useless knowledge to me," Kamakiri grunted and messed with his light-green mohawk. "No offense, Shishida."

"Uhm, none taken?"

Just as Itsuka opened her mouth to respond to Tsubara's question, another student stepped forward.

"May I answer this one, Itsuka?" Hiryu spoke up with his hand in the air.

Itsuka raised an eyebrow at the raised hand and asked a silent question about it with her eyes.

"Dude, you don't have to raise your hand. We're not even in class, and Itsuka is definitely not a teacher," Setsuna said, taking another jab at her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, Setsuna. Go ahead and take this one, Hiryu," Itsuka said with a slight chuckle as she shrugged Setsuna's arm off her shoulder. "Make it quick, though, because I think they're almost here; the sirens are getting closer."

Hiryu simply lowered his hand and nodded. "I will summarize it then," he cleared his throat and began to explain, pitching his voice a little louder due to the noisy sirens. "To answer your question, Tsuburaba, since heroes work so closely with regular law enforcement, we have to know some of the same information they know for instances when our interests align. In this instance, it is to escort our classmates back to school, but there have been others," he said.

Tsuburaba and Kamakiri both made a sort of 'oh' noise along with a few others. Lee just nodded to himself because what Hiryu said made sense. They work with law enforcement, so why wouldn't they know more about the people they work with. Lee wondered when they would learn about it in class or if he could learn more sooner. Guy-sensei always said why put off for tomorrow what you can do today, and this felt like one of those things.

"Heads up everybody!" Itsuka called out, and they all turned their focus onto the quickly approaching police cars, bus, and ambulance. "We're here to support them! It might be a little awkward, and that's fine! I'd think awkward can work in our favor here! Just act natural! Well...not you, Monoma!" She added on, and everyone tried their best to either smother their giggles or smiles. "You make people want to fight you, no offense!"

Monoma rolled his eyes and shrugged. He knew it was the truth. "Whatever you say, big sis!" He joked and gave her a wide smile that was probably meant to be friendly.

With the way the sunlight reflected off the bus windows, Lee couldn't make out any definite faces. Plus, all the noise from the sirens made it hard to focus. Lee guessed he just had to wait until they got off the bus to tell who was who.

Every vehicle came to a stop in front of the school gates, but the two ambulance crews hopped out and into action first. Men and women in blue uniforms and gloves hopped out of the front of their ambulances and went to the back. Quickly, both teams swing open the back doors of the ambulance, and Lee would be lying if he said he didn't crane his neck up to get a better view to fill his morbid curiosity.

Cautiously, the EMTs carried out their own stretcher from the back of the ambulance. Slowly came the feet and then the legs, and then Lee saw who was on the bed, 1-A's homeroom sensei whose name slipped his mind. As the EMTs approached, Lee's stomach clenched painfully at the up-close look he got at the injured man. His clothes were torn up. There were bandages and gauze all over the man's face to the point the only thing discernible was the manual oxygen pump one of the medics had over his mouth.

The EMT holding the mask pumped periodically as the second group carted another person, but way smaller than the first. It had to be a student, there was no other way. Still, in the green uniform, the teen all but flew by as the EMTs moved as fast as they could without jostling the injured boy lying on the stretcher. Lee felt his insides twist in worry before a light nudge from Pony drew his attention.

"They will be okay," Pony assured him with a level of confidence gently untwisted the worry curling up inside him.

He nodded and gave her a thankful smile, which she returned. He felt her lean her shoulder against his arm, and the warmth sent a pleasant trill through his body. He let Pony's reassuring warmth drain all the worry and stress away and leaned onto her to convey his thanks.

"Are you the 1-A Class representative?" Itsuka's voice brought his attention back to the front of the school.

Lee turned to see the bus doors open, but the slim doorway was filled with a girl in a pink costume with a big brown bob cut that was kind of similar to one of his classmates. The girl seemed to be looking for something or someone by how her head kept turning from side to side. Itsuka stood on the ground as the brown-haired girl stepped down from the bus. In his peripheral, Lee noted the police officers in black vests and blue uniforms turning their sirens off and stepping out of their cars.

"Uhm, no," the girl answered after a few moments as if she just realized Itsuka standing in front of her. The girl in pink shook her head before donning a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I'm just...it's been a crazy day and I-," the girl's voice sort of trembled like a glass cup teetering on the edge of a countertop.

The girl in pink clamped her lips shut and looked away from Itsuka, but everyone heard the emotion bubbling beneath the surface. Another boy stepped down from the steps of the bus and onto the ground. It took Lee no time to recognize the armored teen from the interruption during class and earlier that morning with the press mob. He seemed to be unhurt, but Lee wondered if he was worn at all.

The tall boy stepped behind the girl in pink and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl shot him a thankful look and seemed to draw strength from the gesture as she looked back to Itsuka with a healthier smile.

"I'm 1-A's class representative, Tenya Iida," the teen told Itsuka in a voice that couldn't hide how tired he actually was. "I'm going to guess that you are 1-B's?"

Itsuka grinned and nodded. "You'd be right. I'm Itsuka Kendo, and it's nice to meet you, Iida. I wish it was under better circumstances than this," she gestured to the police cars and ambulances. "But we're here to welcome you back to campus and escort you all for a check-up with Recovery Girl," she told him.

That was the moment Setsuna decided to jump into the conversation. "Yeah, we thought you'd appreciate seeing some friendly faces after what you guys' just went through," she said in an oddly subdued voice.

"Yeah," Itsuka added on. "As your sister class, we gotta support each other when things are like this, so," she shrugged, "here we are."

"W-well, I appreciate the support, but 1-A is made of stern stuff," Iida argued, but it felt weak and tired. "We just need-"

Itsuka cut him off by extending her hand out to him. He and the girl both looked from the outstretched hand to Itsuka.

"Everyone needs a hand now and again, Iida. This is 1-B offering ours to you all, and it's not because we think you're weak, but because it's our job as heroes to be there when someone needs it. Whether they ask for it or not," she said confidently.

Iida's eyes suddenly began to water and took his glasses off to wipe at them. The girl in pink next to him bumped her hip against his playfully, and a smile broke out on the boy's face. He placed his glasses back on his face and seemed to gain a little bit more energy. He took Itsuka's hand and shook it firmly.

"Thank you, Kendo. That was-you're right," the teen admitted, and that admittance seemed to take some of the weight off his shoulders. He stood taller, more assured, and that energy seemed to rub off on his pink companion. "We do not have to deal with this alone. I think we all need a hand right now, whether we asked for it or not."

"Great!" Itsuka cheered, and Lee couldn't keep his own smile off his face. "Then let's do this thing, Iida," she smiled brightly.

Iida smiled back at her. "Okay, let's do this thing."

(End Chapter)

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AN: Not as action-packed as 1-A's trip, but I think that's what makes this even more important. Heroism is not always about punching villains; sometimes, it's about punching fear in the face and telling it to fuck off. During the USJ arc, everything happened pretty quickly. If anything, from start to finish, the USJ incident probably took an hour to be resolved in real-time. This means 1-B had no chance to start any meaningful training before Iida burst in to get Vlad. I wanted to bring 1-B together like 1-A is brought together by the USJ incident with our main man, Lee, being the one to set it all off. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Till next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Moving Forward

Ch 9

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The sun shone down on the training field in the back of Guy-Sensei's Youthful Dojo with a cheery brightness that wasn't shared by one of the two people out there.

The yard was mostly hard dirt with short cut green grass surrounding the large dirt circle. There were no fences as Guy-sensei's policy was that anyone inspired by their youthful displays of exercise and martial arts was a good thing. Plus, it wasn't like anyone watching would know what was going on besides the basic idea of training.

Lee flowed through his warm-up set on autopilot because his thoughts were somewhere else. Somewhere like school, his friends, and himself. After the now dubbed 'USJ Incident,' Lee started to reflect on his role in class, school, and future.

What if he found himself in that situation 1-A had. Mina had described to him the villains that showed up, and the ones 1-A ended up fighting. Lee didn't doubt he'd be able to handle any regular villain, but what if they had a quirk like Mina described the portal one - or even that monster that fought All Might one on one. What would he do if he and his class had found themselves in a situation like that? Go into the Eight Gates?

Guy-sensei described the Eight Gates as the ultimate technique, a trump card to trump cards that unlocked your inner spiritual power at the cost of your physical body.

That monster, because what else would you call something that could take hundreds of punches from All Might like Mina described, was able to take the best from the best of the best. Lee was nowhere near All Might in terms of strength; nobody was, and if the villains are gathering forces strong enough to contest with the number 1, then...what did that mean for the rest of them? What did that mean for him? Quirkless and not even able to win a simple fight in class.

Lee spun into a sidekick and -Wham! Thud!

Lee blinked a few times rapidly before refocusing on what just happened. There, lying on the ground, was the heavy bag that used to be hanging from the rig. He looked at the rig and sucked his teeth at the broken hook. His kick had helped break it. Lee sighed softly to himself as the sudden rush of aggressive emotions he felt slowly faded into a more somber feeling.

This was the third bag he'd messed up like this, and Guy-sensei was sure to be disappointed in him for ruining another one.

"Lee!" Guy-sensei's voice called out, and Lee wanted to shrink and disappear rather than face his teacher. Alas, cowardice wasn't youthful, so Lee turned to face his sensei with an apology half-formed on his tongue.

Guy-sensei approached him calmly, looking from the toppled bag to Lee and back again. Lee felt his embarrassment all but overflow in the face of silent scrutiny.

"Well," Guy-sensei began as he stepped over the downed bag to examine the broken hook. "It seems as if we'll need another hook since this one doesn't seem up the task," he joked.

Seeing his sensei taking the situation with humor eased some of the tension Lee felt, but it didn't disappear completely. Not enough to even crack a smile at the joke. It was all still there right beneath the surface, ready to suck him back down again, and he couldn't get rid of it. What was wrong with him?

"Lee," Guy-sensei interrupted Lee's thoughts again. "Can you take the bag inside please, and wait for me on the mats."

And there it was. Guy-sensei was probably going to reprimand him for breaking the hook.

"Yes, Guy-sensei," Lee couldn't help but say a little sullenly as he picked up the sand-filled bag. He hefted it over his shoulder and headed straight inside. He didn't want to see the look he felt Guy-sensei giving him. It was no doubt one of disappointment mirroring Lee's feelings towards himself.

He was supposed to be working on his strings and precision today, getting better, but he couldn't get behind it. At least not today, not after what had happened at school.

After the USJ Incident, the school closed for a couple of days as everyone who was hurt recovered from their injuries. Lee had a feeling the break was just as much for them as it was for the rest of 1-A and 1-B.

Lee hoped they were doing okay. Guy-sensei told him that sometimes injuries aren't all physical, but mental as well, and they needed just as much attention to recover. Maybe that was what was wrong with him? A mental injury that needed to be fixed. The only problem, Lee thought glumly to himself as he tossed the heavy bag into the storage closet, was that he didn't know how to fix it, and that made it worse somehow.

Lee closed the storage closet and wondered why he was feeling so just bleh. He wasn't hurt, everyone that was would make a full recovery, and it wasn't like he was getting kicked out of school anytime soon. He was excellent; he should've been fine, but…

"Lee!"

Lee jolted back to reality and realized he'd been staring at the storage door for far too long. He was supposed to meet Guy-sensei on the mats as soon as he was done here. Darn it!

Lee hurried to the mats only to find Guy-sensei already sitting on his knees with his hands resting on his thighs. Oddly, he had a box next to him, but Lee didn't even care about that so much as he cared about sitting down quickly.

He went as fast as politeness allowed him to, and mirrored Guy-sensei's position on the mats. He still hadn't looked at his sensei's face. He'd looked everywhere besides his sensei's no doubt hard, dark eyes and frown. Lee knew the look and knew he couldn't take it right now. He felt like glass, fragile, and teetering on an edge he couldn't even see. One wrong push and...well, he didn't know what would happen, but the churning in his stomach told him it wouldn't be any good.

They sat quietly for who knows how long, and the churning in Lee's gut only got worse. Was his sensei unwilling to even speak to him? Was he so messed up he was reluctant to talk to his sensei? Gah, he was so hopeless! He couldn't do anything right today or yesterday or any days! All he'd done since he'd been accepted into U.A. was lose and mess up and lie. He wasn't deserving of anything.

Lee breathed in through his nose, wanting desperately to calm down and stop thinking like this - he wanted these thoughts out of his head! -, but sniffled instead. His eyes itched and burned slightly, and he tried to blink it away.

"Lee," Guy-sensei's strong voice steadied his wobbly heart, but Lee still didn't look at him; he couldn't look at him. What would he say next? Would he-

A pair of heavy hands came down on his shoulders, and Lee swallowed thickly. He felt his heart beating a hundred beats a minute in his chest, and felt sick. Lee clenched his eyes shut and tried to will himself to calm down, to will it all away, but how could he when he didn't even know what was bothering him so much!

"Lee, listen to my voice. Focus only on my voice. Breathe, in," a deep breath, "and out," Guy-sensei's breath washed over him like a minty breeze. It reminded Lee of mornings when Guy-sensei tried his best to teach him how to brush his teeth properly. He'd get toothpaste all over the place, and that minty scent didn't fade away for days.

"In," deep breath, "and out." Exhale. "Only focus on breathing right now, Lee. In" deep breath in, "and out," exhale.

Lee's hammering heart relaxed, and he felt less like he was dangling over some unseen edge. He was here with his sensei. He was here with his sensei breathing, and that was it. He was fine; he was okay. His worries and thoughts hadn't left, but, with Guy-sensei here, they weren't overwhelming him.

In, deep breath, and out, exhale.

Lee opened his eyes and looked at his sensei, finding nothing but kindness and concern staring back at him.

"Are you feeling better, Lee?" Guy asked him.

He nodded and wiped his eyes once more. Guy-sensei leaned back and took his hands off Lee's shoulders. The warmth stayed, though, and Lee was silently grateful for it. It was reassuring.

"Now then," Guy-sensei started. "would you be willing to share what has been bothering you so?"

Lee took another breath and collected his thoughts and words. Funny, it'd been running through his mind and yet finding the words was harder than he expected.

"I," he started haltingly, still converting his thoughts into something understandable. "I feel useless, Guy-sensei."

There. He said it. Those seemed to be the words that got the ball rolling because his next words came in an instant.

"I feel useless, and like I don't deserve to be where I am. I'm in U.A. meeting wonderful, strong people who inspire me daily, and I'm getting closer to them too, but..," Lee tapered off as the words that came to him refused to leave his mouth. Or maybe he refused to let them go.

"Take your time, Lee," Guy-sensei assured him, and Lee took strength from him to say the next words.

"But, I feel like I'm not good enough to defend it or them. I don't think I'm good enough to be a hero," Lee admitted slowly.

His sensei seemed to slowly digest the words, and Lee only felt the urge to say more now and clarify.

"I just...I think about what happened to 1-A, and I can't help but imagine that happening to my class, sensei. And whenever I imagine confronting the things they did, fighting the villains they did, I don't see myself being of any use. I'm not the strongest, the quickest, the smartest, the most charismatic, nothing. My classmates and peers have such excellent and powerful quirks. I can't even enter the Eight Gates without risk of crippling injury. I'm only a-a,"

"A burden," Guy-sensei finished for him, and Lee could only nod in sad agreement.

"What do you think would make you any less of a burden then, Lee? More strength? Stamina? A new skill?" Guy-sensei asked him, leaving the odd pressure of answering on Lee's shoulders.

Lee thought about it for a moment, but nothing was coming to mind. Everything Lee knew just didn't seem to be the answer, so he knew he needed something new or better. Different, maybe?

He shrugged, he'd spend hours sitting here thinking about it, so he might as well be honest. "I don't know. I just want to stop feeling this way," Lee admitted openly.

Guy-sensei opened his mouth to respond back and said, "To begin, Lee, I'll be the first to say you are not a burden to yourself nor your classmates."

Lee went to counter it, but Guy-sensei held up a hand to silence him. His sensei wasn't done speaking. It was his turn now to say how he felt it seemed.

"You are not a burden. That is a negative mindset that will only hold you from your true potential, Lee. I'll be honest as your sensei and tell you that, yes, you will never be the strongest or the quickest or the smartest or the most charismatic, but that doesn't mean you aren't strong. That doesn't mean you aren't quick, smart, or even charismatic, Lee," Guy-sensei explained.

"You are the very first Quirkless student to be admitted into U.A.'s Hero Course. What did you tell me your principal said to you. That he believed in you, right?" Lee nodded. "If he believes in you and I believe in you, and you believe in you, then that must mean you're doing something right, Lee."

"But I lost against Tetsutetsu in the Battle Trial, I'm only middle of the class as far as scores go, and I haven't even told my class I'm Quirkless," Lee argued back.

Guy-sensei's expression firmed up, his lips pulling into a tight-lipped, almost-frown, and Lee realized what he said. Why was he talking down about himself like that? He hadn't even realized.

"Lee," Guy-sensei started. "I believe I've found the root of the issue at hand here, and it has nothing to do with your capabilities. Would you be willing to hear me out?"

Lee agreed. Maybe his sensei had the answers, whereas he didn't. Plus, he didn't have much to lose anyways.

"I think you haven't accepted the fact that you're Quirkless yet, Lee. It's making you draw comparisons to your peers instead of recognizing that you are completely different from them," Guy declared. "Yes, you are different, and that's just how it is. You do not have a quirk nor any special abilities that make you stronger, more resilient, faster, and etc. The Eight Gates technique comes at a cost most are afraid to pay, unlike Quirks. Everything you have you had to work for. You've crawled from the dirt, the mud to get where you're at, and if anyone saw how hard you worked every day, they'd think it absurd. You are strong, fast, and smart, Lee, but you'll never have a quirk."

Well, Lee knew that. He'd been depressingly reminded of that every day for as long as he could remember.

"I know that, Guy-sensei. I'll forever be Quirkless Rock Lee, who dreams of the impossible," he acknowledged with a sullen grumble.

"And there it is," Guy-sensei's call-out was confusing. What was what?

Lee cocked a thick eyebrow up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Lee, that you talk about being Quirkless as if it's a curse or it makes you lesser than your peers. Maybe that is my fault for not addressing this sooner, but being quirkless doesn't make you lesser than your peers," Guy-sensei emphasized.

"I can't do what they can, Guy-sensei. How will I compete or be somebody people can rely on or fight the villains that need to be fought?" Lee challenged back. He didn't know why, but the words came out before he could even think.

"You do it without a quirk, Lee."

"That's impossible," he shot back without really thinking.

"And who told you that?" his sensei asked him, and the question made Lee fall silent. "Was it your bullies? The news? Once upon a time, people thought super powers were impossible and yet here we are. What about the police officers, firefighters, and etc? Majority of them are Quirkless, just like you, but they still 'compete' with the heroes. They are still people others can rely on and fight the villains that need to be fought, and they do it-,"

"Without a Quirk," Lee finished silently, completely missing his sensei's triumphant look as he fell into his thoughts.

Maybe his mentor was right. No, scratch maybe, his sensei _was_ right. There were people performing heroic acts all the time without a Quirk like his sensei said. Heroism wasn't about competing with your peers. It was about doing the best you could with what you had. He didn't have a Quirk, and he'd never have one, but Lee could still be a hero. He knew that in his heart of hearts.

He was letting the doubt get to him. The USJ Incident has shaken his faith in himself, or maybe his belief in himself was never as strong as he thought it was. If it was, he wouldn't be this wary of telling his friends and classmates about it or having this conversation with his sensei.

"You have the heart of a hero, Lee. Never doubt that," Guy-sensei stated with enough conviction for the both of them. "What you lack in the Quirk department you more than make up for it with your hard work. Let that speak for itself. You may not be where they're at right now, but your starting position was different than there's,"

"Well, then how do I catch up? How do I get to where I need to be so I can be the best hero I can?"

"You keep working hard. You are a walking testament that hard work pays off in youthful ways, Lee, but you should give yourself every advantage possible."

"What do you mean by that?"

Guy-sensei reached to the side and presented Lee a rectangular, wooden case the size of a shoebox. It was very light-colored like sand, and Lee blinked in surprise as his sensei offered it to him to take.

Lee didn't get how some gift was gonna give him an advantage on this hero journey or fighting villains. He took the box from his sensei and brought it close to open it. He lifted the lid off and blinked in shock.

There, sitting innocently in the box, was a pair of dark grey nunchaku.

Shocked speechless by the gift, Lee reached in and grabbed the weapons. He held them him in one hand under the lights of the dojo and could see the intricate carvings onto the handles. What were they even made of?

On the handles were two words on either handle. He quickly flipped them around to read.

One read "green" and the other "beast."

"Green beast?" Lee whispered to himself before looking to his sensei. "What does the green beast mean, sensei?"

Guy-sensei smiles coyly like he knew something Lee didn't and was going to do something he thought was cool.

His sensei reached into hoods gi and surprisingly pulled out his own pair of nunchaku! They were black, though, almost pitch black. They were scratched - but not too deep - and weathered in the places Lee guessed the hands went. The similar engravings weren't hard to notice, either. Lee gaped at what they said.

"Blue Beast," Lee read aloud, and he could feel the weight behind that name or nickname.

"Back in my hay day, when my father, Might Duy, was training me, when I was your age, he gifted me my very own set of nunchaku with an engraving. Mine, as you can see, say 'Blue Beast.' It was the name he gave me after I started taking all the martial arts tournaments by storm. I'm giving you these and your own moniker after seeing the impressive progress you've made, Lee. It's greater than even my own," Guy commended to Lee's astonishment. He couldn't help but gape a little at that. He was even stronger than sensei at this age?

"The name was for me just a nickname," Guy-sensei continued on. Lee hung onto every word. "but for you, with the path you're taking, it might even become something more," Guy finished off a little hopeful sounding.

It took Lee a moment to connect the dots with what his sensei had told him. Guy-sensei had given him something Lee couldn't believe. "You want me to…"

"No," guy-sensei was quick to shut that notion down. "I do not want anything. If you wish to choose your own, I have a fresh pair in the back, but I thought regardless of if you choose to bare the moniker or not, it'd let you know how proud I am of you and what you've accomplished, Lee." Guy-sensei states firmly and fondly. He then fell silent, probably to give Lee the chance to decide for himself.

But what was there to think about? The answer was obvious. It was the one he would've chosen if he'd thought of it first.

Lee ran a thumb over the name again - his name - trying to memorize how they felt carved into the weapons and what they looked like. It was excellently done and clearly the hand of an expert. Lee wondered who Guy-sensei knew that could pull off such a beautiful piece of work.

Green beast. He'd make that a name that carries weight like Blue Beast did. He'd make it a name that inspired hope and reminded people that anything was possible with enough hard work. He'd do it. This he swore on the name Green Beast and on his life!

"I'd be honored to take the name Guy-sensei," Lee told his mentor, heart soaring in his chest. "I'll become The Hardworking Hero, Green Beast! Quirk: None," Lee declared with the biggest smile he could manage.

Guy-sensei's eyes started watering, and Lee instantly felt his own start doing the same thing. Soon, he felt his own start running down his cheeks.

Familiar arms wrapped around him, and Lee wrapped his own around tightly. He held his sensei close as he cried, hearing his sensei's own between breaths.

"Guy-sensei?" He asked him, wondering why his mentor was crying.

"Lee," Guy-sensei answered, and it clicked. What Lee had said, taking on the name Green Beast had moved him to joyful tears.

That-that was enough to make him want to cry even harder!

"Guy-sensei!" He cried back, overjoyed. He held his sensei tighter and tried to let him know just how much he appreciated him and how happy Lee was his student.

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

Guy-sensei abruptly pulled them apart, eyes red from crying and snot dribbling down his nose like a waterfall, but Lee didn't even care. He probably looked worse!

Guy's eyes traced over him like he was burning the image of Lee into his brain forever.

"The Hardworking Hero: Green Beast," He said in the proudest tone ever. "Quirk: None. Now that's a name that'll be remembered right up there with the best of the best."

Lee nodded and wiped at his face. "I'll make sure of it Guy-sensei. I swear I'll become the most youthful hero the world has ever seen!" He promised vehemently.

"Of that, Lee," his personal hero said back to him through red, teary eyes. "I have zero doubt."

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(End Chapter)

A/N: I'm skipping the interactions between students because having to decide who pairs off with who is taking longer than I expected. Some are ridiculously obvious: Tetsu and Kirishima, while others are harder. So I thought I'd just make it like an interlude throwback scene while keeping things going, so be on the lookout for that when it comes. Also, know, not a lot of action, but we got development that I feel is very important right here after USJ and before the SF. After this, though, we've got the Sports Festival coming up. That's when we'll get some real action. How will Lee shake things up? That's going to be fun, though, so stay tuned y'all! Read, review, and be safe.


	10. Chapter 10: Today Was A Good Day

Ch 10: A Challenger Appears! or, alternatively, "A Very Good Day."

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The morning air was a little chilly as the sun just began to rise into the blue, partly cloudy sky, but Lee knew it'd warm up quickly as the day progressed.

It's been two exhilarating and educational days for him. Guy-sensei immediately started teaching him the ways around a pair of nunchucks. He was getting the hang of it, enough so that he was here to school a little early to get them registered as his hero equipment.

It's Pro Hero policy 101. Since some Quirks work through external forces, like Best Jeanist, the weapon(s) needed to be registered with an official Support Hero since it and the Quirk go hand in hand. Not everyone could punch a villain through a roof, cough All Might cough. An agreeable rule, Lee would say, and it was youthful to follow the rules. He needed to do this by the book.

He skipped across the street, mood way too high to even register, and stopped at the corner. The light was red, and he couldn't cross the road yet. He rocked a little back and forth and looked around. He just needed something to do while he waited, not that he'd actually see anything unusual. The street was the same as it always- wait.

Lee stopped rocking and looked at the familiar pink figure across the street. Pink hair, horns, yup it definitely was.

"Mina!" Lee yelled excitedly. This was an even greater morning now! "Mina, hey!" He called, trying to get her attention over the sound of traffic.

Her head popped up as if she heard something, and he jumped and continued jumping. He threw his hand up while the other held onto his bag, "Over here! Mina!"

Sure enough, she turned to look his way just as the sign changed to walk. Lee all but sprinted.

"Lee?" Mina asked in evident confusion. Why was she confused? Oh, right. He was here early for the first time. Did that mean she came to school early every day? Whoa! He would have never guessed.

"Good morning, Mina! Yes, I'm here early on important business," he explained, a smile stretching across his face as he thought about why he was here. Oh, he just needed to share his good news with her.

"What kind of business?" She asked. Perfect.

Lee smiled real wide and reached in his bag to grab the case. Just as he was going to open it, Mina's hands started pulling him forward.

"Right, you can show me as we walk together, Lee. I'm here early for a reason, too," she told him as she walked enough for the both of them. Must've been significant business.

His own revelry moved aside for curiosity. "What is does your important business entail, Mina?"

She smirked at him and tossed her head side to side as she said, "I asked yooouuuu first," she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes as they walked.

"You're correct, Mina," Lee acknowledged. She had asked him first. So, he held up the case as they walked down the street to campus. The front gates were just ahead, and that gave him just enough time.

He lifted the top of the case with a "Ta-da!" And a wide smile. She would be blown away by their youthfulness as he was, he was sure. Oh, he couldn't wait!

Mina looked at them, and her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, Lee," she gasped. "Those are so pretty!"

P-pretty? Lee's excitement kind of tripped and stumbled. His new nunchucks were well-made, exquisite He looked down at his new weapons and back up to Mina's gushing face. Pretty? He guessed they were pretty.

Maybe showing her the engravings would change her mind from pretty to excellent or youthful or-

"Oh, my gosh, do they say something?" Or she asked, looking to him for an answer.

Lee smiled proudly and rolled the weapons around in the case to let her read them.

" 'Green Beast," she read under her breath. "What's that mean? That your new name, Lee?"

He nodded, a little embarrassment slipping into his smile.

"Yes, my sensei who taught me all I know gifted me with the nunchaku and the name, and I want to make it my own to honor him," He explained to her, memories of the moment flashing through his mind. Unfiltered joy filled him to the brim, and he said his next words without really thinking. "I want to become the Hardworking hero, Green Beast. Quirk: None."

Suddenly Mina stopped walking. Had they arrived at at...the... school.

Oh. Oh, crud.

"What did you just say? What was the name of your Quirk, Lee?" Mina asked him with a confused smile on her face.

His heart turned into a block of ice as what he said actually registered through the joy that beat a hasty retreat to make way for nerves and worry. He stopped too, just a few steps ahead of Mina, and his mind raced like it never had before. Has he really just said that? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why couldn't he control his mouth? He just -

Wait-no! No. He wasn't going to do that. He clamped down on his nerves with a reforged will and took a breath. The street noise seemed to fade into the background as he brought all his attention onto Mina. She was the first person he met, and that had to mean something, right? He wouldn't run away from this.

He swallowed -gosh, it sounded loud- and gathered what courage he could find.

"I said I don't have a Quirk, Mina," He admitted in a steadier voice and with ease he didn't expect. "I'm Quirkless."

"Oh," Mina said.

Was that it? Oh?

"Oh?" Lee repeated. 'Oh' was kind of not what he expected.

"Oh," Mina nodded. "I just that's not what I expected is all," She explained to him with a slight shrug. She started walking again, slower this time, and Lee wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, as the saying goes.

In his stupor, Mina had passed him, and he hurried to catch up.

"I mean," Lee started slowly. He was still unsure about how she felt, and he needed to ask her. "Are you okay with that? I mean, not okay because I'm not asking your permission. Still, I don't really know what I'm asking you actually," He finished lamely. He worried about how she felt, but it wasn't as if him being Quirkless had anything to do with her. He just...he needed to know what she thought because he needed to see if she was still his friend or not.

As they stepped through the school gates in silence, he knew he had to ask her because he wasn't sure got to take the silence. He just had to assert himself and his intentions. He needed to claim his being quirkless, and anybody else's opinion about it didn't matter. He liked Mina. She was friendly, funny, and just as energetic as him, but... if she took it negatively, then that was it.

"I don't have a Quirk, Mina. I was born quirkless, and I'll die quirkless. Still, I'm determined to become a hero despite it, no, because of it," He began to explain passionately. Lee wasn't sure why he was talking more - maybe to fill the awkward, in his opinion, silence or what. Here came the hard part, though. Why did she have to be focusing on him so hard? "You can either accept it or not, but I just wanted to be honest with you because I think of you as my friend, my first friend, and if you're-,"

"Lee, no," Mina trued interrupted him, but he barely heard her over his own voice and thudding heart.

"Not okay with that, then that's on you, and I can't change that-"

"Lee, listen to me!" Mina all but yelled over him. She gripped his shoulders and shook him a little. Probably to get him to shut up. So, he shut up quickly. Were Mina's hands always this warm, though?

She locked eyes with him, and he met her stare easily; he never had problems before.

"Lee," she started, and he prepared for the worst. "It's a little too early for a confession and your life story at the same time," she smiled at him, and he thought he ascended to the most youthful plane of existence there was for a second. "How about we talk more at lunch when we both have the time, hmm?"

That was, well, it was pretty good all things considered. Lee's nerves settled, and he nodded to Mina's request. Lunch was perfect, actually.

"Good," she smiled more full this time, her signature smile, and Lee almost fell over in relief. She then pulled him into a hug that surprised him. "I really appreciate you being honest with me, Lee. I'll see you at lunch, and we can talk all about it, okay?" She asked as she pulled back. A part of him wanted the hug to continue.

"Now," she said in a much more familiar 'Mina' way. "We've both got things to do before classes start, so I'll see you later, Lee."

She gave him one more smile before turning to leave, and Lee watched her go.

That...went SO much better than he expected! Oh, yeah! He pumped his fists a little in the air and hopped around the courtyard feeling happier than ever before. He almost couldn't believe it. Gosh, the relief he felt, the everything he was feeling right now was how Lee wanted to feel every day, every time he told people he was quirkless.

He laughed aloud a little as his eyes tingled with what he knew were tears, and he let a few come before wiping them away. This was-this was how it always should go. He was really looking forward to lunch now. When was the last time someone asked him about his life like that? He could only recall Guy-sensei doing so, but now? Now he could add Mina to the list.

The day was already good, but now it was great. Greater than great! Now, he had to register his gear and get to class. Today was the best day ever!

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"Good morning, class," Vlad-sensei greeted as he walks into the 1-B classroom.

"Good morning, sensei," they greeted back cheerfully.

"What's on the agenda for today, sensei?" Shishida asked, eager to hear about what they were doing.

"Today, I have an announcement for you all," he began but didn't say anything to follow up—the anticipation built and built until it burst.

"Well, don't leave us waiting!" Setsuna cried. "The anticipation is killing me slowly, argh, bleh," she mimed, choking and laying out across her desk.

"What you all will be preparing for is the U.A. Sports Festival," the Pro Hero announced to the class.

"The sports festival!" Tetsu cried out exuberantly. "Aw yeah!"

"Wow, so soon, sensei?" Itsuka asked in concern. "After everything that's happened, is it really the best decision?"

"The administration has decided to move forward with the Sports Festival due to its importance and popularity. U.A.'s Sports Festival is one of the most-watched and attended events in the entire world," He explained. Itsuka nodded at that.

Yui raised her hand and spoke up, "The Sports Festival is how we get noticed by the pros and join agencies to become sidekicks."

"Correct, Yui," Vlad began. "The Sports Festival is important because it is your introduction to the wider world. They get to see how the next generation of heroes is shaping up. Once, before Quirks became so abundant, people from all over would tune into the Olympics, but now it's this," he told them, its weight all settling down onto them. "The Sports Festival is a once in a lifetime opportunity for aspiring heroes like yourselves that shouldn't be squandered."

"Whoa," Nirengeki gasped.

"That's kind of intense," Kinoko muttered lowly.

"I know each of you have your personal goals and dreams. Speaking from my personal experience, the Sports Festival is another big step you will take to accomplish them. Getting into U.A. is one thing; this is another. So, that means to train hard for it and prepare as much as you think you should," He told them.

"Do you have any suggestions on what we should be focusing on?" Hiryu asked.

Vlad hmmd before answering. "Quirk control, power, and endurance if possible. Physical training aimed at the same. Now is not the time to create something new, but for finishing or mastering a technique. Speaking from experience again, your mentality going into the festival makes all the difference as well," he told them. "The Sports Festival is still a competition after all, and you all won't be the only ones participating. All the other courses at U.A. will be too"

"That means 1-A," Tetsu said, punching his fist into his palm. He grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "I'm ready to show everyone what I got!"

"The perfect chance to show them that they aren't the only class worth being talked about," Monoma added. "After all, I'm much more impressive."

"You all know what the deal is, so I won't bother explaining much else," Vlad interrupted before anyone else could speak out. "The festival is in two weeks from today, so train as hard as you can. Class dismissed."

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Walking out of class to lunch, Lee was slightly ashamed to admit he hadn't paid attention to a single thing. How could he after Vlad-sensei announced the festival coming up? He couldn't stop thinking about it, and from the conversations going on around him, he wasn't the only one.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Tsuburaba exclaimed as he stepped out of class. "The Sports Festival. Man, I've dreamed of this day for so long. I can't believe it's happening, and I'm going to be in it."

"I know, right!" Setsuna added in. She was so excited she was skipping and hopping her way to lunch. "It's going to be crazyyyy."

"I want to start training already," Lee interjected. "I'm going to bring my absolute best."

"Well, if you're bringing your A-game," Kamakiri said. "Then, I am too."

"Oh yeah!" A few of his classmates cheered and agreed as they walked to lunch together.

"I just hope I do good enough to be scouted by a pro. That would be amazing," Yui added on.

"Oh, oh," Setsuna piped up. "Who would you all want to like study under? I would love it if Edgeshot scouted me. He's so cool and smart," she gushed.

Lee shared a confused look with Pony before a nudge from Itsuka got his attention.

"Don't worry about her," Itsuka started, teal eyes shining with mirth. "She just has a crush on Edgeshot," Itsuka said with a roll of her eyes.

Setsuna heard it and called Itsuka, a name Lee much rather not repeat. Instead of being scandalized or insulted like Lee thought she'd be, Itsuka only smiled and gave Setsuna a little shove.

How weird.

"Lee," Pony started, getting his attention. "Would you like to eat lunch with me - I mean us?" She asked him while indicating to the girls who hadn't broken off to their own groups as they entered the lunchroom.

It was Pony, Setsuna, Itsuka, and him. He started to give her a yes, but then remembered he would talk to Mina at lunch. But considering the talk was about him being Quirkless, he supposed maybe the better option would be to tell them at the same time? Was he up to that?

He didn't think it fair to tell one friend but not tell another when he had the chance right here, so he made his choice.

"Sure, Pony," He told her and was slightly delighted in how she seemed to brighten with his agreement. She must've loved the company, do him bringing Mina would be even better. "Could I bring a friend along? I promised to talk to get her at lunch, so I thought you should meet," He explained.

Pony's smile seemed to flinch, but he was sure he imagined things.

Her lips moved like she was saying something, but he couldn't hear it over the chatter of the lunchroom crowd, so he leaned closer so he could listen to her better.

"What'd you say, Pony? I couldn't hear you?" He asked near her ear, so he didn't have to yell when he was so close to her face. That would be rude.

Oddly, she didn't answer him right then. He was going to ask her again until Itsuka poked his forehead with her big finger. And by big finger, he meant an actually large digit. It didn't, but it knocked his head back, and he wondered why she did it.

He sent her his best-confused face, and she caught the unspoken question.

"Pony said," Itsuka started, "that was fine, Lee. She just needs to grow a spin-," Itsuka's eye twitched oddly for some reason, "-ning plant for her garden at her home."

No one said anything for a moment to look at Itsuka, who was suddenly looking off into the distance. What was a spinning plant? What was she- oh, wait. He'd recognize that pink-haired head anywhere. It was-

"Heyo, Mina!" He called to her while waving his hand in the air. Lee honestly wasn't how she heard him, or maybe she just happened to turn his head in his direction, but she saw him and lit up with a smile and waved back.

"That's her?" Setsuna asked him, her eyes wide like she was surprised at something. Eh, must just be Setsuna things.

He nodded, yes. "Yup, that's my friend, Mina. I'm sure she'll love to meet you all," he told them before turning back to try and air-communicate with Mina.

If Lee wasn't so busy trying to let Mina know he was coming with three other people and she should save that many seats from across the room, he would've seen the silent conversation between the girls behind him.

'So she's gorgeous,' Itsuka started, brows raised and hands out as if to calm them down. 'But so what?'

'She's so pretty,' Pony lamented with a sad frown, eyes on the floor.

'Hey, girl, get it together!' Setsuna emphasized with a light shove to Pony's shoulder. 'Now is not the time for doubt. It is time for action!' she declared with a severe face and clenched fist.

'You want me to punch her?' Pony asked with a raised brow and pointed at '_Mina_.'

Setsuna gave a so-so motion.

Itsuka pushed Pony's fist down and gave Setsuna a look that said, 'No one is punching her. We move to step two,' Itsuka told them, holding up two fingers.

Pony and Setsuna nodded. Step two it was.

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"So, I've gathered you all here to tell you something important," Lee began once they all had their food and sat down at the table Mina saved for them.

It was him, Mina, Itsuka, and Setsuna. All people he felt reasonably close to and wanted to keep being friends with. After telling Mina and seeing her reaction, he was riding a rare wave of confidence. He wasn't one to waste an opportunity and thought, why not tell some of the most important people in his life right now. Itsuka was the first person in 1-B who talked to him, Pony was the closest friend he had in 1-B, and Setsuna was pretty cool too. If Itsuka hung out with her, then he'd bet she was an understanding person also.

Mina stayed quiet after he said that because she heard it already, but the other three stopped eating and focused on him. You don't just say something as vague as 'something important' and not get people's attention.

Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, but a deep breath settled them. Whatever would happen would not because he was Quirkless, but because they wouldn't understand. He was ready.

"I'm Quirkless," He announced to the table in one fell swoop. He looked around at the three people who didn't know.

"Okay," Setsuna was the first person to speak up. "I think that's awesome, Lee. And you made it to the hero course - through the entrance exam!" She exclaimed towards the end like she just realized it herself.

"Yeah, Lee," Itsuka agreed simply. "You've performed just as good as anyone in our class has. You're faster than Setsuna, and I know a serious martial artist when I see one. And that means more to me than any Quirk could."

"Oh my gosh, you're like Mumen Rider!" Pony suddenly exclaimed to the table. Everyone at the table looked at her in confusion, and it took her a few moments to realize she said that in English instead of Japanese.

"Mumen Rider?" Lee repeated in confusion, looking from Pony to the rest of them. "What is Mumen Rider?"

That was the only word he understood from any of that and hoped Pony or the others could clarify for him. Pony reddened in embarrassment, and Itsuka and Setsuna both look as confused as him.

"He's an anime character," Mina answered, and everyone turned to her. "From a really popular manga turned anime. I'm surprised none of you have heard of it, actually."

"I don't watch much anime," Setsuna admitted.

"I don't really have much time outside of training and school," Itsuka told them.

"Same here," Lee added. "But who is he, and why did you compare me to him, Pony?" He asked her.

"Oh, uhm, he kind of doesn't have any powers in a world where there are monsters and heroes with superpowers - kind of like ours in fact -, and he still tries to be a hero and save people," She explained. "I have some manga and the first season on disk set if you - I mean if any of you ever want to watch it with me. Possibly. Maybe. When you all aren't busy."

"Ooh, sounds like fun," Mina sang. "We can make it like an anime night."

An anime night? While he had never seen an anime episode, he had seen the advertisements for it around town. Different shows with colorful characters and crazy powers a lot of the time. He never really watched any of it, considering the real world was just as crazy if not crazier.

Wait, what was he thinking? This was supposed to be a serious, life-changing moment.

"So. you all are okay with me being Quirkless?" He couldn't help but ask them.

Setsuna had the audacity to snort. _Snort_. She speared her food with a fork and then pointed it at him. "If anyone isn't okay with you being Quirkless, that's their problem, not yours. As a matter of fact, if anyone has a problem with you, they have a problem with me, too," she declared firmly, then plopping the food in her mouth.

"Same with me," Itsuka nodded at him assuredly. "They'll have me to deal with too, I promise you that."

"Ooh, we're getting all epic and supportive," Setsuna gushed. "Who's next. Go, go, go, go."

"Same here," Mina said.

"You're my friend, Lee," Pony said to begin with. "If someone has a problem with you, they have a problem with me, and I'll, uh," she faltered, trying to find something to say.

"She'll send them to the moon with a punch!" Mina added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Pony nodded excitedly, jumping on the anime reference. "Like that scene with the alien invasion!"

"It was so cool, right? The animation was just," Mina made a noise that sounded like a 'urgh.'

"Yes!"

Lee slid over to Itsuka and Setsuna as they slid near him.

"They're getting really into it, aren't they?" Itsuka asked as the three looked on to the spectacle happening in front of them. "Oh, wow, they've descended into reenacting the scene."

"Yeahhh, I don't really know what's happening anymore, but," she turned to Lee. "I was serious about what I said, Lee. You're a friend, and what kind of hero would I be if I didn't support and defend my friends?"

Itsuka nodded at that and rubbed his shoulder. Lee was speechless. Three - no, four people he told he was Quirkless, and they were still here. They didn't talk down at him, didn't question him - nothing. They accepted it and even said they'd support and defend him. That was beyond anything he'd ever imagine happening. He always thought-

Suddenly, his vision was filled with a white napkin. He traced the napkin to Setsuna and saw a soft smile, not like one of her silly ones, but a warm, kind one. One a friend gave another. But why did she give him a napkin?

"Unless you want the whole lunchroom to see you crying, Lee, you should wipe your eyes," she advised him.

He touched his eyes and could feel they were wet. Wow, he hadn't even noticed. Happy tears? He was that happy? As he grabbed the napkin and Itsuka rubbed his shoulder, and Mina and Pony reenacted some anime scene, Lee felt the happiest he thinks he's ever been.

"And then, he got him in one punch!"

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Lee found himself too curious for his own good once the day was over. U.A. had denied today a half-day to allow their students more time to prepare for the Sports Festival. Where he should be heading home like Pony and the others did, he wandered over to 1-A's classroom because he was too curious about the competition.

Judging by the crowd gathered outside the door, he wasn't the only one who thought so.

He was a little late, though, as now he was in the back. He didn't care enough to shove his way through to see, so he'd listen and wait. Maybe he'd see one or some right here, but he heard about some of them from Mina or just general talk.

1-A was in the spotlight after the USJ incident. A group of first years defeating real villains, holding them off long enough for help to arrive, was all the news was about for the last couple of weeks. There was Endeavor's son, he heard them talk about him. Had both his mothers and father's Quirks they said, but Mina talked about ice a lot, so perhaps he used the ice more so than fire? Lee could work around ice and fire, but he wasn't sure how good the teen actually was.

Lee wasn't going off rumors and speculation of strength. Mina liked to gossip when they talked, so it was mostly about who liked who and how her classmates acted. No, Todoroki Shouto would have to prove his strength to him.

He'd met most of them or were at least introduced to them after USJ, and a few made his brain itch that itch that told you that there was something different about that person. It was the part of him that lived and breathed martial arts and combat. The part that got his blood pumping and excited at the prospect of a challenge.

Lee was ready to redeem himself after losing to Tetsutetsu, and the Sports Festival was just the place.

Oh, wait, he blinked back to reality, the crowd was dispersing. Darn, did he miss his chance? Lee looked around the moving heads but didn't really know what he was looking for. What was he gonna do, ask them what their Quirks were? Lee wasn't diving into that, so he just stopped and sighed. He really wasted his time here.

He dropped his head. Ugh, see too curious for his own good. Soon the crowd was mostly gone, and Lee looked up, ready to leave, and found himself locking eyes with a messy green-haired, freckled boy.

Lee's brain gave an itch, and he listened.

He quickly assessed the guy, but there wasn't anything stand-out about him. No visible sign of a Quirk, but that green hair was specific to something Mina told him about a green-haired classmate of hers with a Quirk much like All Might's. Was he the one that Lee couldn't meet due to the severity of his injuries from USJ? Like Aizawa-sensei?

Something that scratched at his brain and demanded he takes notice. Obviously, the green-haired teen thought the same because his eyes hadn't even moved from Lee's own. No, he must've felt it too—a potential challenge.

Well, what was he standing around for? He might as well introduce himself. Lee straightened his shoulders and stood tall as he started his approach to the other boy. He closed the distance in quick steps and held a hand out.

"Rock Lee, Class 1-B. May I have your name?" Lee asked him pleasantly.

The green-haired boy jolted like he was coming back from his own thoughts before shaking Lee's outstretched hand. They gripped hands, and Lee almost smiled at how the teen didn't even flinch at how firm Lee shook his hand.

"Izuku Midoriya, Class 1-A," Midoriya greeted back, brow set, and green eyes staring at him intently.

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(End Chapter)

AN: We've made it! Sports Festival arc is about to really take off next chapter, and it's going to be hype! I'm incredibly excited, and I hope y'all are too. I think it was an important step Lee had to take in accepting who he was and sort of stepping into that truth before facing the world for the first time in the Sports Festival where all eyes will be on him, y'know? Our green boys have met! What does it mean?! If you've been involved in some sort of skill/competition based sport long enough, you gain a kind of 'sixth sense' as to who is actually good and who isn't. Like, I can't really explain it better than that because if you know, you know. If you don't know, you don't know. Anyways, read, review, and whatnot. Stay safe, y'all. Until next time!


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